Method and system for a towed vessel suitable for transporting liquids

ABSTRACT

A towed vessel suitable for containing and transporting various liquids is disclosed. The vessel further comprises various features useful in the transportation, navigation, and storage of the towable vessel, both when in use for transporting fluids and when transported in an emptied state. Such features include navigational and positioning devices and methods, power supply devices and methods, and means for filling, inflating, emptying, and deflating a non-rigid, towed vessel. Aspects of embodiments of the present invention further include features useful for purifying or preserving the purity of the fluid to be transported.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/767,675, filed Feb. 14, 2013 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,702,460, issuedApr. 22, 2014), which is a Continuation Application of and claims thebenefit of priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/025,796filed on Feb. 11, 2011 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,403,718, issued Mar. 26,2013), which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 61/303,519, filed on Feb. 11, 2010, entitled “Method and Systemfor a Towed Vessel Suitable for Transporting Liquids,” the entiredisclosures of which are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference in their entireties. This application claims the benefit ofpriority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/023,331, filed Sep.10, 2013 (pending), which is a Continuation-in-Part Application of andclaims the benefit of priority from patent application Ser. No.13/222,940, filed Aug. 31, 2011 (pending), which claims priority fromU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/378,811, filed Aug. 31,2010, entitled “Method and System for Trading Water”; the entiredisclosures of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference intheir entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a method and system fortransporting fluent cargo through a liquid. More specifically, theinvention relates to a towable container capable of housing a largevolume of water/beverage and capable of being towed or otherwiseconveyed through a larger body of water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As the world's population continues to increase, so does the demand forfresh water that is safe for consumption and the like. Despite manyadvances in water purification technology, many areas of the world arecurrently affected and will continue to be affected by a lack of thisfundamental natural resource. Currently, many methods, such asreverse-osmosis, exist for the purification and desalination of water inorder to produce potable and commercially appealing drinking products.Many of these processes suffer from the drawbacks of high productioncosts, resulting carbon emissions from the facilities in which they takeplace, and a significant level of waste water per volume of resultingpotable water. As the demand for clean water increases, some methodshave also been criticized for the strain they put on natural aquifers.In coastal regions with groundwater aquifers underlain by saline layers,concerns of saltwater encroachment exist where the over-burdening offreshwater aquifers creates a pressure differential that allows heavyconcentrations of salt water to infiltrate the drinking supply.

Indeed, many areas in need of a reliable water supply do not have theavailability of the resource itself to even reap the benefits ofpurification technologies. At the same time, however, a few specificregions of the Earth have abundant supplies of fresh, clean, and safewater which offer the potential to alleviate demands for water byutilizing the appropriate means for conveyance.

Devices and methods for transporting large volumes of water to distantregions of the Earth have proved costly and inefficient. For example,filtration, purification, and bottling of water for transportation andconsumption have become a subject of scrutiny in recent years. Inaddition to the raw energy consumption required to produce clean water,it is estimated that at least twice the amount water is used in theproduction process than is actually bottled. In other words, one literof bottled water may represent as much as three liters of waterconsumed. It has also been estimated that tens of millions of barrels ofoil were required to generate the energy needed to produce the volume ofbottled water consumed in the United States in 2007. Furthermore, theproduction and transportation costs of these methods are proving to bemore and more taxing upon our planet's already strained naturalresources.

Recent research has also revealed that one common method fortransporting water and drinking liquids, containment via plasticbottles, poses a variety of health and environmental risks. It isestimated that approximately 70 million plastic bottles of water areconsumed daily in the United States alone. In addition to the obviousstrain that this puts on landfills and natural resources, many of thesebottles may also contain Bisphenol (“BPA”) which may pose health risksto humans. Even bottles that do not contain BPA pose the risk ofleaching other chemicals into the contained water or fluid. Whilebottled water is not without its benefits, it is often desirable toreduce the amount of bottles used or the duration which water or liquidis stored in the bottles.

Accordingly, a long felt but unsolved need exists for a method andsystem that can be economically employed to contain and convey pure andsafe drinking water from various regions of the Earth to those having aneed or demand for the same.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Devices for transporting a single large volume of water or liquid in andthrough the Earth's waterways have been contemplated. For example, U.S.Pat. No. 6,550,410 to Reimers, which is hereby incorporated by referencein its entirety, discloses a system and method for conveying fluids,where the system is adapted for towing by marine crafts in offshoreconditions. Reimers further discloses a collapsible fluid container withan elongated shape, towing, and mooring means, as well as containerretrieval, storage and deployment means. Reimers, however, does notteach various novel features of many of the embodiments of the presentinvention, including, but not limited to, locating means, rapid fillingand/or emptying means, renewable energy means, locating and trackingmeans, and means for preserving the purity and integrity of fluids to behoused within.

Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 7,500,442 to Schanz, which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a submergedtransport and storage system for liquids and solids. Schanz discloses atowable vessel with optional air and liquid storage bladders useful foradjusting buoyancy and allowing simultaneous transport of differentsolids and liquids. Schanz further discloses a cord-like connectingspine passing through the hull towing attachment ends to providelongitudinal reinforcement and prevent undesired distortion of thevessel during towing. Schanz, however, fails to teach a device that maybe readily transported and/or stored when not in use and a device usingrenewable energy resources to transport the water vessel. Furthermore,Schanz also fails to teach a device with means for locating the towedvessel.

Canadian Patent No. CA 2,744,617 to Audet discloses a flexible fluidcontainment vessel and is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety. U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2013/0213897 to Jauncey discloses atowable bladder and is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,047,655 and 6,330,865 to Cran, which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties, disclose a flexiblebarge. These references disclose a system comprising a flexible bargestructure with a system of straps to prevent propagation of rips and todistribute concentrated tow forces over the flexible barge. Cran failsto teach several novel aspects of the present invention.

U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012/0024215 to Flockenhagen discloses afloating hollow body and is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety. U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,218 to Eagles discloses a flexible fluidcontainment vessel and is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety. U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,524 to Renoux discloses a flexible marinetrailer and is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,391,926 to Scott, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety, discloses a non-rigid barge for transportingfluids and other materials by water. Scott also discloses an uppersurface or deck of the barge equipped with radio controlled lights orother means for navigational purposes. Scott, however, fails to teach adevice comprising means for rapid filling and emptying of fluids andother substances, signaling or other locating means outside of those forpurely navigational purposes, means for filtering and/or preserving theintegrity of liquids housed within, and means for storing andtransporting the towed vessel when not in use.

Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,217 to Savage et al., which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses an apparatus andmethod for transporting fluid cargo through liquid. Savage et al.,discloses an apparatus consisting of one or more units in substantiallylinear alignment, wherein at least one of the units includes two or morenon-internally reinforced containers coupled in a side-by-side manner.Savage et al., further discloses various close coupled configurations ofa plurality of fluid containing units, but fails to teach various novelaspects of the present invention, such as means for signaling,identifying, and/or locating a lost fluid containing unit, means forrapid filling and/or emptying of a device, and means for preserving theintegrity of water or other contents contained within the device.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,921 to Spragg, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety, discloses a flexible fabric barge apparatusand method for transporting fluent cargos. More specifically, Spraggdiscloses a series of flexible fabric barges that are connected togetherin a string for towing and further include a fabric towing cone zipperconnected to the lead barge. Spragg, however, fails to disclose variousnovel features of the present invention.

Applicant hereby incorporates by reference in their entireties U.S. Pat.No. 8,007,845 issued to Szydlowski on Aug. 30, 2011; U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/023,331 to Szydlowski, filed on Sep. 10, 2013;U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/222,940, filed Aug. 31, 2011; U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/905,590, filed Oct. 15, 2010; U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/251,912 to Szydlowski, filed onOct. 15, 2009; PCT Patent Application Serial No. PCT/US12/48166, filedJul. 25, 2012; and PCT Patent Application Serial No. PCT/US10/52864,filed Oct. 15, 2010.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an at leastpartially submersible, towed vessel capable of transporting volumes offluent cargos, such as potable water, juice, wine, and/or various otherfluids suitable for human use and consumption. The towable vessel may bea very large bag (“VLB”), preferably having one or more of the followingcharacteristics: solar power and/or wind power capabilities integrallyassociated with the fluid containing vessel; a drone manipulatedsteering system; operatively associated fluid segregation systems; andbuoyancy controls and/or air venting systems.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a devicesuitable for containing large volumes of fluent cargos that is furthercapable of being towed by various watercrafts.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a towedfluid containing vessel further comprising means to facilitate the rapidfilling and emptying of fluids to be contained within. In oneembodiment, the present invention comprises a plurality of ports throughwhich a liquid and/or air/gas are conveyed to facilitate the rapidemptying and/or filling of such devices.

In one embodiment, after most of the water has been drained from theVLB, the VLB is towed back to its point of origin (or to another watersource) with only a small amount of water remaining in the bag.Accordingly, the mostly-empty VLB is towed behind a vessel like a noodlebecause the mostly-empty VLB is slightly buoyant with only a smallamount of water in the bag. In some embodiments, the VLB is not rolledup and put on a ship to ship it back to its point of origin becauserolling up the VLB would damage the material of the bag. In additionalembodiments, the substantially-empty bag may be attached to a buoyancydevice for its return voyage.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide awater-towed vessel further comprising means for signaling a physicalposition of the vessel. For example, means may be provided to signal toother vessels or individuals the presence and location of the vessel. Inone embodiment, lighting means and beacons are disposed on a dorsalportion of a vessel to indicate the presence of the vessel to nearbypersons and other vessels. Additional devices, such as nets, buoys, andgated systems, for example, may be deployed around a perimeter of thedevice to alert various individuals and vessels of the presence of thevessel and/or a vessel's sub-surface presence. U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,912to Lengefeld discloses a buoy for attachment to the net line of afishing net and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.Devices disclosed in Lengefeld and those similar may be employed invarious features and embodiments of the present invention. For example,a ring or net with marker buoys useful for keeping the ring/net afloatand simultaneously serving as a visual indicator may be employed.

Additionally, means may be provided in association with the vessel toconvey information to users or devices at various locations throughoutthe world regarding the coordinates or relative position of the towedvessel, such as through global positioning systems (“GPS”) and othersimilar devices. Thus, in one embodiment, the present inventioncomprises light-emitting devices for signaling a position of the deviceas well as at least one GPS transmitter for broadcasting/transmitting alocation of the device.

In an alternative embodiment, devices of the present invention compriseat least one GPS transmission device, which is in communication with anetwork or database that is further accessible by various additionaldevices. Additional devices of the present invention may include, forexample, computer terminals, handheld devices, and a variety of otherdevices capable of receiving GPS information. Thus, embodiments of thepresent invention may be tracked by any number of individuals or systemsthroughout the world.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide means forease of storage and/or transportation of the towed vessel when not inuse for transporting fluent cargos. Such means may include, for example,the ability to fold, roll, or compress the present invention for ease ofstorage and/or transportation when towing is not desired or needed. Inan alternative embodiment, the present invention comprises variablebuoyancy control, which allows for the adjustment of buoyancy at one ormore locations of the device. For example, when a device of the presentinvention is empty, one longitudinal end of the device may be deprivedof buoyancy, while an opposing longitudinal end is allowed to remainbuoyant, thus allowing the elongate shape to be positioned in agenerally vertical position. In this manner, the device is capable ofoccupying less area at the surface of a body of water.

In another embodiment, the present invention comprises reinforcingstraps secured to at least a portion of the device that are furtheradapted to accommodate and/or distribute stresses applied to the vesselwhile being towed. In one embodiment, the reinforcing straps aresecurely connected with a towing portion of the device and extendradially outward along at least a portion of the vessel's longitudinallength.

It is known that various regions of the Earth, which greatly desireand/or require water, for example, are generally devoid of thelarge-scale infrastructure that is often necessary to quickly extractthe contents of a large vessel. Accordingly, embodiments of the presentinvention include various means for short or long-term off-shorestorage. In one embodiment, the present invention is stationed in theproximity of an area in need of water or similar fluids (e.g., adisaster area) in an off-shore location via the use of mooring orsubstantially immovable objects. Contents of the device are thenextracted from the device on an as-needed basis and conveyed to anon-shore location via smaller vessels or temporary conduits (e.g., PVCor similar piping).

In an alternative embodiment, the present invention is capable ofselective communication with fixed on-shore infrastructure and devicescapable of emptying and subsequently storing the entirety of the volumeof a towed vessel. For example, conveying/emptying devices disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 6,550,410 to Reimers, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety, and those similar may be employed in variousembodiments of the present invention.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide means forfiltering fluids to be contained within the device. Such filtering maycomprise, for example, filtration upon entrance of the fluid into thevessel, filtration during transport of the fluid, and/or filtration ofthe fluid upon exit from the vessel. In one embodiment, indigenous(i.e., with respect to the fluids originating source) soils, sands,clays, etc. are provided within or in combination with filters at theentry and exit points of a towed device, thereby forcing water to beconveyed through a natural filter upon entrance and/or exit from a toweddevice. In one embodiment, disposable filters are provided which may bediscarded and/or have filtration contents replaced after a certainnumber of filtration passes.

It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide means formooring, stabilizing, and/or parking devices of the present invention.For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0157513 toDyhrberg, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety,discloses a mooring system for mooring a vessel to a floor portion of abody of water. These and similar devices may be incorporated intovarious embodiments described herein in order to accommodate, forexample, issues related to dock or on-shore storage restrictions,weather and tidal conditions, unpredictable transit times, legal andinsurance issues related to positioning a device on-shore or at a dock,and physical restrictions associated with shallow water ports. As usedherein, a substantially immovable object refers to mooring devices(despite their general ability to drift or float within a certainradius) as well as more traditional fixed objects such as docks, land,anchored vessels, anchors, etc.

In an alternative embodiment, the present invention comprises theability to be oriented in a substantially vertical position, either whenin a filled or emptied state, due to a portion of the towed vessel beingcapable of decreasing its buoyancy by the intake of various materials.Such a device comprises a two-way valve that enables the selectivecontrol of the buoyancy of one longitudinal end of the vessel and thusprovides for ease of storage and protection of the vessel and itscontents.

In one embodiment, the rapid filling mechanisms may be gravity fed. Inadditional or alternative embodiments, the ports for filling andemptying the VLB may vary in size or the size may be changed by a userbased on the amount of liquid needed from the VLB and the speed at whichthat liquid needs to be put into or taken out of the VLB.

In another embodiment, the invention comprises structures capable ofstabilizing towed vessels in a generally vertical arrangement (e.g., forstorage). For example, in one embodiment, a first end of a towed vesselis secured to a substantially immobile device and a second end of atowed vessel is secured to means adapted for altering the depth of thesecond end. In this embodiment, the second end of a substantially emptytowed vessel may be selectively transmitted to a submerged position andthe towed vessel oriented in a substantially vertical position.Embodiments of the present invention further allow for the vessel to bere-surfaced by, for example, actuating the means adapted for alteringthe depth of the second end of the vessel. Means adapted for alteringdepth may be comprised of various known devices comprising at least onelinear translation element. For example, worm gears adapted for use intranslating associated nuts, pulley systems, hydraulic jack or elevatordevices, rail actuators, and various other known devices may beincorporated into embodiments of the present invention. Thus, in oneembodiment, the present invention comprises a towed vessel with anelongate shape, a first end adapted for communication with a mooringdevice that is free to translate within a given radius, and a second endadapted for communication with a linear translation device thatselectively adjusts the depth of at least the second end of the vessel.

In one embodiment, water located at greater depths which is known to beof cooler temperature is allowed to cool a volume of fluid or airdisposed within a submerged portion of the present invention, thusproviding for additional vertical anchoring capabilities. Variousselectively controlled valves are useful for further controllingbuoyancy. For example, in one embodiment, once a towed vessel isoriented in a generally vertical position, colder/denser water proximalto a submerged location is drawn into at least a portion of the vessel,facilitating vertical storage of the device. User operated valves arefurther capable of being activated in order to dispel said colder/denserwater when the vessel is to be repositioned generally parallel with asurface.

Those of skill in the art will recognize that oceanic thermoclines andhaloclines may be taken advantage for the storage, convection, etc. ofvarious embodiments of the present invention. In one embodiment, wateror fluid disposed in a submerged portion of the vessel may be heated,thus inducing convection currents within a towed device and preservingintegrity of the water. Density of water, which is defined asMass/Volume (g/cm³) may be accounted for, adjusted, and otherwisemodified in various embodiments of the present invention. It is furtherknown that seawater is denser than freshwater, thus facilitating thetransport of a contained volume of freshwater through a denser body ofsalt water. As used herein, the term “fresh” with respect to water neednot necessarily mean potable. Rather, it will be recognized that “fresh”is merely a term for the alternative to salt water.

One aspect of some embodiments of the present invention is directed toidentifying surface currents, particularly along particular coasts, todetermine those currents that are favorable to vessels transporting ortowing bulk containers of non-salt water, preferably fresh water(whether or not contaminated). Vessels transporting bulk fresh water mayinclude a combination of tankers, very large bags (hereinafter referredto as VLB's), and ships with shipping containers full of bags of water.As described herein, the combined usage of tugs, ships, and VLB'sfacilitates the long-felt but unsolved need of conveying non-salt waterto regions of the globe in need thereof. Such a system and method, forexample, can be employed to recharge the over-taxed aquifers of somePacific islands until they are able to regain their sustainablehydrostatic pressure. Incorporated herein by reference are severalpatents directed to a variety of flexible containment vessels thatprovide written description and enablement support which, in view of theguidance provided herein directs one of skill in the art how best tomake and use a vast array of embodiments: U.S. Pat. No. 7,775,171 toTupil; U.S. Pat. No. 6,739,274 to Eagles, et al.; and U.S. Pat. No.6,718,896 to Davenport.

It is one object of embodiments of the present invention to provide aneconomical way to transport water and other liquids. As such, a verylarge bag filled with liquid may be towed by a towing vessel. The VLBmay comprise a bowhead snout, which is an attaching mechanism fortowing, straps, and valves. Furthermore, the transport of the VLB mustcontemplate the cost of fuel to tow the VLB versus the speed/time of thedelivery. In one embodiment, the VLB may be towed through the Humboldtcurrent because the Humboldt current moves at approximately 3 mph andthe VLB is most economically transported at approximately 2.5 to 4knots.

The ocean currents, season, weather, storms, route, etc. are allrelevant to the calculation of the most economical route to tow the VLB.In one embodiment, software to model the variables relevant to the priceof towing the VLB may be use. The software may incorporate many factorsto determine the most economical time, speed, and route to tow the VLB.For example, the software may receive information about a storm andchange the route of the towable vessel to conserve fuel. Other costreducing variables (such as the current price of fuel, weather, wind,wave size and direction, size of the towing vessel, size of the VLB,number of employees on the towing vessel, etc.) may also be included inthe software algorithm. The software may also determine the mosteconomical size and shape of the VLB depending on the currents, season,route, etc. The software may also take into account the wave drag andthe form drag, i.e., the first harmonic and second harmonic. Thus, thesoftware may calculate the drag due to friction on the bag—skinfriction. Materials to reduce the friction of the bag may also be usedin some embodiments. The software may also calculate and use theReynolds number of the bag in the present flow (water, ocean) conditionsto accurately model the VLB in the water.

The Beaufort scale gives wave heights based on the wind speed and thetheoretical maximum wave height based on an unlimited fetch. Eightmeters is a possibility if there are storms with wind speeds between 10to 12 knots. However the wave heights can only build up so much becausethey quickly begin to crest and collapse upon themselves. The wavelengthand wave period are also as important as the wave height. Big ships maysuffer from hogging and sagging, which in the extreme case may break thevessel in half. Sagging is when the wave length is such that only thestern and bow are supported by the wave, and hogging is when only themiddle is supported by the wave. The VLBs do not have this problembecause flex is integral to their design and VLBs sit at the bottom ofthe wave trough. In some embodiments, the VLBs will fare better whenpositioned parallel to the wave swell. In other embodiments, the VLBswill fare better when positioned at an oblique angle relative to thewave swell. In further embodiments, the VLBs will fare better whenpositioned sideways relative to the wave swell. In some embodiments, theVLBs will operate best when positioned into the wind.

The VLB may include sensors to detect the integrity of the bag, stresseson the bag, the velocity of the bag, wave conditions, wave velocity,temperature, etc. These sensors may include strain gauges. For example,integrated sensors and a fiber-optic grid may monitor any deformationsin the bag during the bag's voyage across the sea. All of this data maybe input into the software to further calculate the most economicalroute presently or in the future. Further, these data points may affectwhether the route of the bag is changed mid-course. Additionally, if theintegrity of the bag is compromised, the VLB may have an emptyingmechanism to quickly empty the bag in case of emergency. Sensors andsoftware may also be used to calculate the current fuel consumptionrate. Additionally, the sensors may calculate the yaw, roll, and pitchof the VLB. Ideally, the VLB will not yaw because this would increasedrag and decrease efficiency.

The VLB may be towed at different speeds depending on whether it isbeing towed by a tug boat or an oil tanker. The software may take thetowing boat type and characteristics into account when calculatingefficiencies.

In one embodiment, the VLBs are towed by large ocean liners, oiltankers, or supertankers. These large ships may be 30-90 meters deep,and thus may be required to stay in deep waters. If this is the case,then small boats or tugs may travel from land to the VLB secured to thelarge ship to get water from the VLB. Then the small vessel may returnto land with the water or other liquid from the VLB.

In some embodiments, the VLB may be shaped like the flexible containmentvessels described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,775,171 to Tupil and U.S. Pat. No.5,657,714 to Hsia et al., which are incorporated by reference herein intheir entireties. In one embodiment, the VLB may have specificationssimilar to the flexible containment vessels described in Canadian PatentApplication No. CA 2,744,617, which is incorporated by reference hereinin its entirety. VLBs can be employed in a variety of water qualitytrading systems and methods such as those described in U.S. Pat. No.7,062,406 to Patwarahan, which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

Methods of trading water and setting a price for water may be includedin the methods described herein. U.S. Patent Publication No.2009/0055294 to Shirazi discloses an aqua index and is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

It is important in many embodiments of the present invention to properlygauge the currents through which the ships may traverse so as to achievedesired efficiencies of energy use, avoid catastrophic episodes relatedto adverse ocean conditions, etc. For example, the present inventorshave first appreciated that the traditionally mean currents of theHumboldt Current will not provide adequate, useful estimates of thesurface currents for the transporting vessels. Thus, obtainment and useof computer model results that predict global surface currents forced byreal time satellite sensed winds and sea level height anomalies, whichare available in real time, provides a better estimate of the nearsurface current for the transporting vessels. In certain embodiments,the use of satellite-tracked drifter along a vessel's course is employedto provide valuable additional information of the current for aparticular voyage. Specifically, the ability to track bodies and debriscan be used to predict real time surface currents. Other situations maybe considered when determining when and where to transport the VLB. Forexample, whale and shark migration may be considered so that the VLBsare not towed or transported through a migration because injury to theanimals or to the VLB may occur.

In certain embodiments, data from satellite-tracked surface driftersdeployed during 1980 to the present in the Pacific Ocean are employed ina high-tech version of the “message in a bottle.” Using a surface buoyand a subsurface drogue (sea anchor), attached by a long, thin tether,the buoy measures location, temperature and other properties, and has atransmitter to send the data to passing satellites. The drogue dominatesthe total area of the instrument and is centered at a depth of 15 metersbeneath the sea surface. The drifters are minimally affected by the windand give direct estimates of the near-surface velocity. The velocity atthe surface of the open ocean is nearly the same as the velocity at adepth of 15 m because there is normally a near surface mixed layer 10'sof meters thick in the upper ocean. A real time estimate of surfacecurrents is useful to ships transporting water, and is best accomplishedby the use of direct observations and output from real-time computermodels of the ocean. These modern computer models are similar to themodels that have been developed to predict the weather. Real timesatellite wind products using microwaves and real time ship observationsand state of the art real time models of ocean circulation are thusemployed to determine preferred routes of transport so as to avoidobstacles, conserve energy and to protect the delicate nature of VLBconveyance.

Yachts use sea anchors to assist the yachts in bad storms. In oneembodiment, the VLB may be a sea anchor for other boats to use as ananchor and a stabilizer. Additionally, the VLB may act and be employedas a sea anchor for the tug or vessel towing the VLB because the VLBprovides stabilization. Thus, the towing vessel will be safer in stormsand bad weather conditions. In one embodiment, smaller VLBs may become arequirement for large ships to pull because the small VLB plays the roleof a sea anchor by providing security to the towing vessel.

In one embodiment, 2 or more ocean buoys are used to anchor the VLB. Anexample of an ocean buoy is one found at www.diltanconsultores.cl. Thesystem may include 4-6 VLBs and 2 or more ocean buoys. The VLBs may becycled through such that each VLB is on a 28-day cycle and each VLB isat a different stage of the cycle at any given time.

In one embodiment, the bag may be shipped to the water's destinationwith one side facing upward toward the sun and the bag may be returnedto its original destination with the opposite side facing upward towardthe sun. This would reduce UV damage to the bag and damage to the bottomside of the bag due to the bottom side being submerged in salt water.

In certain embodiments, a plot is produced in real time and sent to avessel prior to departure or conveyed to a vessel at sea. In oneembodiment, a five-day average current is the highest frequency outputfrom the model, but consecutive five-day segments can overlap. A colorbar showing color contours can be presented to represent the surfacecurrent speed with arrows and arrow lengths employed to represent thedirection and speed. Sea surface height reflects the distribution ofpressure in the ocean and the pressure gradients drive the oceancurrents similar to how atmospheric pressure gradients drive the wind.Examples of such data can be obtained from the Ocean Surface CurrentsAnalyses-Real Time (OSCAR) database at the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA).

One of the defining characteristics of living organisms is theirinherent ability to repair physical damage. A growing trend inbiomimicry is the creation of non-living structural materials that alsohave the capacity to heal themselves when cut, torn or cracked.Self-healing materials which can repair damage without external humanintervention could give manufactured goods longer lifetimes and reducethe demand for raw materials, as well as improving the inherent safetyof materials used in construction or to form the bodies of aircraft.

In some embodiments, the bag may be composed of a self-healing material.One of the defining characteristics of living organisms is theirinherent ability to repair physical damage. A growing trend inbiomimicry is the creation of non-living structural materials that alsohave the capacity to heal themselves when cut, torn or cracked.Self-healing materials that can repair damage without external humanintervention may give manufactured goods longer lifetimes and reduce thedemand for raw materials, as well as improving the inherent safety ofmaterials. Thus, a bag composed of a self-healing material can reduceleakage, water loss, and contamination.

In various embodiments, liners of the present invention comprise awater-resistant, elastomer-coated mesh material, such mesh materialbeing constructed of polymeric material having some inherent elasticity,such as polyester or nylon. A warp knit mesh construction is preferredin certain embodiments. The mesh material also may be steel mesh,preferably hexagonal netting of drawn steel wire or similar high modulusmaterial, such as extended-chain crystallized polymer. In oneembodiment, the bag is manufactured of a fabric structure (a pluralityof separately formed layers bound together) for a flexible fluidcontainment vessel similar to the fabric structure described in U.S.Pat. No. 6,718,896 to Davenport, which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety. In other embodiments, the bag is fabricated outof spirally wound strips of fabric having beam stabilizers, beamseparators, and reinforcing similar to the fabric structure described inU.S. Pat. No. 6,675,734 to Eagles et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,218 toEagles et al., which are incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties. In alternate embodiments, the bag is fabricated out offabrics and materials similar to those described in U.S. Pat. No.6,739,274 to Eagles et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,571 to Eagles, U.S. Pat.No. 7,024,748 to Eagles, U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,921 to Davis et al., U.S.Pat. No. 7,308,862 to Romanski et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,775,171 toTupil, which are all incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties.

In various embodiments, the base fabric is provided with an elastomericcoating for the purposes of providing water-proofing as well asprotecting the material of construction from ultraviolet degradation andmarine growth. In some embodiments, the bags may need to be composed ofa material that is UV, rot, microbial, and mold resistant.

In various embodiments, the bag is not a body of revolution or, inparticular, tubular. In various embodiments, the top and bottom surfacesare indistinguishable and the bag or liner may be periodically turnedover to equalize damage due to sun, weather, mold, aging, etc.

Organic electronics—a type of printed electronics—may be used in someembodiments to coat a wide range of surfaces. Organic electronics is theuse of organic materials such as polymers to create electronic circuitsand devices. In contrast to traditional (silicon-based) semiconductorsthat are fabricated with expensive photolithographic techniques, organicelectronics can be printed using low-cost, scalable processes such asink jet printing, making them extremely cheap compared with traditionalelectronics devices, both in terms of the cost per device and thecapital equipment required to produce them. While organic electronicsare currently unlikely to compete with silicon in terms of speed anddensity, they have the potential to provide a significant edge in costand versatility. The cost implications of printed mass-produced solarphotovoltaic collectors, for example, could accelerate the transition torenewable energy.

Water scarcity is a worsening ecological problem in many parts of theworld due to competing demands from agriculture, cities and other humanuses. Where freshwater systems are over-used or exhausted, desalinationfrom the sea offers near-unlimited water but a considerable use ofenergy—usually from fossil fuels—to drive evaporation or reverse-osmosissystems. Emerging technologies offer the potential for significantlyhigher energy efficiency in desalination or purification of wastewater,potentially reducing energy consumption by 50% or more. Techniques suchas forward-osmosis can additionally improve efficiency by utilizinglow-grade heat from thermal power production or renewable heat producedby solar-thermal geothermal installations.

Long-promised technologies for the capture and underground sequestrationof carbon dioxide have yet to be proven commercially viable, even at thescale of a single large power station. New technologies that convert theunwanted carbon dioxide (CO2) into saleable goods can potentiallyaddress both the economic and energetic shortcomings of conventional CCSstrategies. One of the most promising approaches uses biologicallyengineered photosynthetic bacteria to turn waste CO2 into liquid fuelsor chemicals, in low-cost, modular solar converter systems. In someembodiments, these systems are employed on a transport vehicle such thatthe bags contain photosynthetic bacteria able to convert waste CO2 fromthe vehicle's engine to supply lower carbon fuels to the vehicle'sengines. Thus, the CO2 sequestration system may be a closed loop systemon the vehicle to reduce the amount of fuel needed for the journey andto reduce the environmentally harmful impact of traveling longdistances.

It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a toweddevice that is capable of being transported in series with additionaltowed devices. Thus, in one embodiment, a towed device comprises theability to be placed in secure communication with one or more additionaltowed devices, thereby providing the ability to increase the totalvolume of a fluid to be transported. In one embodiment, the presentinvention comprises tracking abilities, such as those described inEuropean Patent No. EP 1,723,021 to Hendrickson et al., which disclosesa Rail Car Tracking System and is hereby incorporated by reference inits entirety. Although Hendrickson relates generally to the field ofrail transportation, those of skill in the art will recognize thatvarious embodiments as described therein may be applicable to and usefulfor tracking water-towed vessels of the present invention, whether towedin consists/trains, or towed individually. Tag readers for use in thepresent invention may be disposed on, for example, docks, buoys,vessels, aircraft, etc. and may be capable of reading information fromwater-towed vessels related to physical position, contents, temperature(internal or external to the towed vessel, velocity, and other pertinentinformation).

In one embodiment of the present invention, water is transported in alarge water bag. Such bags are made of a suitable material, such asplastic, rubber, nylon, combinations thereof, and the like, and can varyin size depending on the amount of water being transported. Such bagshave the advantage of not altering the quantity or characteristic of thewater contained therein. To transfer water using such devices, the bagsare filled with the water to be transported, sealed and then transferredto the final destination. Any method of moving such bags can beemployed. A particularly useful method is to tow such bags through theocean using ships, barges, tankers, and the like. In one embodiment,unmanned, GPS-guided, boats tow the bags. Other space-based andterrestrial guidance systems may also be used to guide vessels towingsuch bags. In some embodiments, the vessels operate autonomously. Instill other embodiments, the vessels operate autonomously but canreceive updated commands and instructions from remotely locatedoperators. Such transport mechanisms would reduce the cost associatedwith a crew.

It is known that when pliable vessels are used to tow or transportvolumes of water, wave propagation through the body of water and/orstored volume of water can present undesirable complications.Accordingly, various embodiments of the present invention comprise wavedamping features adapted to reduce such effects. For example, variousdevices and features described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,686,539 to Aristaghes,which is incorporated by reference herein, may be utilized with featuresof the present invention. For example, wave dampening structures may bedisposed within water containing vessels and/or positioned around watercontaining vessels of the present invention.

In various embodiments, devices of the present invention comprise theability to convert and/or utilize energy from naturally occurringresources such as solar, wind, wave, and thermal resources. In variousembodiments, energy captured and/or converted from these sources may beused for various on-board functions, such as propulsion, heating, andvarious purification techniques. U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2013/0217822 to Hopper discloses power generation by changing density ofa fluid and is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

In one embodiment, a vessel comprises photovoltaic arrays adapted forconverting solar energy into forms of energy that may be used throughoutthe device and/or system. In some embodiments, the solar arrays may havemechanisms to lift the arrays above the VLB and orient the solar arraysand/or photovoltaic film in different directions depending on thedirection of the sun. For example, solar energy may be captured,concentrated, and/or converted in a manner that allows for heating of asubmerged volume of water (i.e., via thermal energy, electrical energy,or various combinations thereof) and the subsequent creation ofconvection currents throughout the system. The energy from thephotovoltaic arrays may also be used to power the vessel or the vessel'snavigating systems. Unlike the big, bulky, rigid solar panel units ofU.S. Pat. No. 4,233,085 to Roderick et al., which is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety, the photovoltaic arrays should belightweight and take up a minimal amount of space. Additionally, thesolar energy collectors may track the movement of the sun along at leastone axis and have a plurality of reflector panels similar to the solarenergy collectors described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,932,461 to Johnson etal., which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In oneembodiment, the solar energy may be used to power GPS, navigation, orother tracking systems on the VLB.

Solar energy may also be captured, concentrated, and/or converted in amanner that allows for purifying, filtering, and/or treating the waterin the VLBs. Additionally, water may be treated on the tug or othertowing vessel using energy from solar energy and piped into the VLBwhile it is being towed or while it is stationary, such as when the VLBis acting as a water island. Furthermore, a tugboat may use a VLB orwater island with solar cells or a windmill as a charging station. Morespecifically, the tug may come to the water island (e.g., a stationaryVLB) to get water from the water island and may charge its batteries atthe same time, much like a charging station to an electric car. Thus,the tug will get both water and energy from the water island and willuse the energy to take the water to destinations needing water.

Most tugs are diesel-electric powered. Thus, having photovoltaic solarcells on the VLB to collect solar power would help power the tug orother towing vessel. In some embodiments, the solar cells may even fullypower the VLBs. The solar cells may also power mini/small electricmotors that can help steer the VLB en route, at a sea anchor, and/orentering and exiting ports using computer controls, either on-board orremotely. The solar cells may also provide power to all of the neededsensors, pumps to empty the VLB, and transmitting devices to transmit inreal time any and all information regarding the water quality,temperature, etc.

In various embodiments, a water purification system may be on board thetowing vessel such that the water in the VLB—which may be in multiplebags within the VLB or in bags in shipping containers on the towingvessel—is purified while in route to its destination. In one embodiment,electricity produced from solar cells, solar films, and/or photovoltaicarrays on the VLB is used to run the purification systems. Additionally,some bags on the vessel or within the VLB may be empty while others areinitially full of dirty or non-potable water. The dirty or non-potablewater may be filtered and purified while on the ship and theclean/purified water may then be put into clean bags or into the VLB.Because the bags may be compacted and compressed, bringing additionalbags on-board would not require a significant amount of space. Thus,some bags could be used for clean water and other bags could be used fordirty water and the bags could be reused as such.

Various methods may be employed to fully treat or partially treat thewater in the VLB and/or other transported water as it is entering theVLB, sitting in the VLB, or as it is removed from the VLB and/or smallertransport bladders. One such method for partially treated the water isozonation. Ozonation has been found to be a safe and effectivedisinfectant method and system to treat water. Ozone can be spayed intothe bag or bladders before the bags are filled. Ozone can also be usedas an in-line treatment of loading and/or unloading water. This in-linemethod can comprise injecting ozone into a line of water loading into aVLB prior to charging the water into the VLB; charging the ozoneinjected water into the bags; and adjusting a rate of injection of theozone into the water and adjusting the rate of water loading into thevessel to provide a target biokill of species within the water. In-lineozonation is said to be more efficient and more economical than in-tanktreatment. By way of example and in further support of the presentdisclosure, U.S. Pat. No. 6,869,540 to Robinson and U.S. Pat. No.6,125,778 to Rodden are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

In one embodiment, a treatment system to treat the water using amembrane treatment unit to separate out microorganisms is employed. Sucha system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,900,780 to Ueki and U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2007/0246424 to Hironari, which by way ofexample and in further support of the present disclosure, areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Another treatmentsystem is described in WO 2013/040521 to Hannemann, which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Other embodiments employ one or more of a UV system for disinfectingwater (WO 02/074,692); chlorine dioxide (WO 02/44089) or pesticides (EP1,006,084 and EP 1,447,384); at least one filter unit, at least onedisinfection unit, and a detection unit (U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2010/0116647); the infusion of combustion gases into theballast water to kill harmful microorganisms and bacteria (U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2011/0132849); as well as various othersystems such as those found in U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2010/0116647 to Kornmuller, U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2011/0132849 to Husain, WIPO Patent Application Publication No.02/074,692 to Brodie, WIPO Patent Application Publication No. 02/44089to Perlich, European Patent Application Publication No. 1,006,084 toFuchs, and European Patent Application Publication No. 1,447,384 toHamann, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

A mobile water treatment apparatus that includes a filtration system, amotor, a fluid storage container, and a fluid delivery pump may be usedin some embodiments to treat the water onboard the tug or towing vesseland/or in an associated water treatment barge at or near the destinationport. By way of example and in further support of the presentdisclosure, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0089123 toKennedy is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The presentsystem in one embodiment provides such conditions for oily, pretreatedwater. By way of example and in further support of the presentdisclosure, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0272630 toRosenbaum is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In various embodiments, devices for towing water of the presentinvention comprise energy conversion means such as solar arrays forpowering various devices. Devices of the present invention comprisetowable bags or bladders with a surface of up to 60,000 square meters.As it is known that the power density of the sun's radiation on thesurface of the earth is approximately 1.4 kW/m2, devices of the presentinvention are impacted by incredibly large amounts of energy. As such,it is contemplated that embodiments of devices of the present inventionmay comprise features for harnessing this energy, as well as additionalsources of energy such as wind and wave action, to power variouson-board features.

Wind energy may also be used in some embodiments through the use ofprojectable wings and/or sails and/or a variety of wind power and/ortidal power systems, heretofore never employed in association with a VLBduring transport of water therein. In further embodiments, hydrogenpower may be built in to the VLB itself because hydrogen can begenerated via disassociation of water via the power generating systemsdescribed herein.

In various embodiments, devices of the present invention comprise theability to convert and/or utilize energy available not only from thesolar and wind, but also from other naturally occurring resources, suchas wave and thermal resources. For example, a device for receiving aportion of an ocean wave and converting that energy into useable energymay be employed, such as the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,755,211to Montgomery, which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety. In various embodiments, energy captured and/or converted fromthese sources may be used for various functions on-board the towingvessel or on-board the VLB, such as propulsion, navigation, cooling,heating, and various purification techniques.

In various embodiments, bags of the present invention are provided withdispersion means for repelling various creatures such as birds, seals,sea lions, whales, mermaids, mussels, mollusks, octopi, and variousother marine and avian creatures. Various creatures and sea life canproduce serious detriment to bags and/or to ecosystems to which they maybe transported in the event that they use the bag as a “host.”Accordingly, in order to solve the long-felt need of repelling such lifeforms from towed bags, the present invention provides electricallypowered means for dispersing such creatures. Such electrically poweredmeans may be powered by various on-board energy devices as discussedherein or may derive power from elsewhere, such as an attached vessel.In one embodiment, features are provided along a surface of the bag torepel various creatures. For example, in one embodiment, a plurality ofsprinklers is provided to prevent fowl from congregating on a bag andcompromising the hygiene of the same. In another embodiment, flashing orstrobe lights are provide to prevent unwanted creatures from inhabitingdevices of the present invention.

Another aspect of the present embodiment also includes loading tankerswith water through very large bags of water. These bags of water may bebrought to where the tanker has unloaded its cargo. Alternatively, these“water islands” can be positioned at various predetermined locations andafter a tanker has delivered its cargo, it can then travel to one ormore water islands to then take water on-board and then continue to adestination where such water is desired. The water may also be loadedthrough buoys or filled by lighters, which are smaller tankers. Theseloading techniques significantly reduce the cost of loading the waterbecause it minimizes the large tankers' travel. For example, U.S. Pat.Nos. 7,841,289 and 7,500,442 to Schanz, which are hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety, discloses water transporter and storagesystems for liquids, such as water, by means of a very large bag-likestructure. In various aspects of the present invention, methods andsystems employ a lightweight towed submerged water transporter andstorage system for liquids, which employs a streamlined towable hullwith optional air and liquid storage bladders used not only to adjustbuoyancy, but to allow the simultaneous transport and storage ofdifferent solids and liquids.

Certain embodiments incorporate glow-in-the-dark features to the VLB toenhance detection of such bags by neighboring vessels. In someembodiments, lighting components are provided on the VLBs themselves toilluminate outlines, features, etc. of the VLB at night, thus providingfor safety through the avoidance of seafaring collisions. In someembodiments, tritium, radium, or any other radioluminescent material canbe used to mark the very large bag-like structure or mark lines on thebag. This “permanent” illumination is beneficial in low light conditionsand requires no additional electrical energy, which may be an importantfeature in emergency situations. Additionally, fluorescence,phosphorescence, photoluminescence, or chemiluminescence technologiesmay be used to illuminate the bag or lines or words on the towablevessel without the use of electrical energy.

In one embodiment, parts of the bag may comprises color stabilizercomprising a UV absorber or a light stabilizer. The UV absorbercomprises triazines, benzoxazinones, benzotriazoles, benzophenones,benzoates, formamidines, cinnamates/propenoates, aromatic propanediones,benzimidazoles, cycloaliphatic ketones, formanilides, cyanoacrylates,benzopyranones, and mixtures thereof. The UV absorber is preferablypresent in an amount between about 0.1 weight percent and about 6.0weight percent and more preferably, in an amount between about 1.0weight % to about 5.0 weight %. Most preferably, the UV absorber ispresent in an amount between about 3.0 weight % and about 5.0 weight %.U.S. Pat. No. 8,529,376 to Morgan is incorporated by reference herein inits entirety.

In some embodiments, the bag may also include a light emitting diode(s)(“LED”) or other light source to illuminate the bag.

In some embodiments, large bags are filled with water at the location ofthe water source to preserve the purity or other characteristics of thewater. As used herein, the terms “water bag,” “bag,” and “bladder” maybe used interchangeably. In one embodiment, the water is not filtered orpurified before being put into the bags. In other embodiments, the wateris purified and/or filtered at the water source (including glaciers) orat some point before it is put into the bag. In yet other embodiments,the water is bagged at the source and is filtered and/or purified at alater point in the process, if the water needs to be filtered orpurified (i.e., if the buyer's needs require additional filtration orpurification).

In one embodiment of the present invention, the characteristic possessedby the water is the presence of extraterrestrial-derived components.Such components include, but are not limited to, molecules such as aminoacids and other organic molecule, that are derived from comets,asteroids, and the like. One example of such a component is glycine, abasic component of proteins. While the details of the potential healthbenefits of such components have yet to be evaluated, there exists aviable market for unadulterated drinking water, which could reasonablybe calculated to contain glycine and primordial building blocks of life.In addition to the commercially appealing aspects of consuming theorigins of life itself, glycine is known to produce a sweet taste forhumans.

In various embodiments of the present invention, the water issequestered in a form suitable for long-term storage that does notaffect the unique characteristics of the water. In one embodiment, thewater is sequestered as ice. In a particular embodiment, the water issequestered as glacial ice. In yet another embodiment, the water issequestered in a polar ice cap. Various combinations of suchsequestration means are also included in some embodiments of the presentinvention.

In some embodiments, the bag is put into the ocean, lake, river, etc.and then is filled with water or another liquid once the bag is in thewater. In one embodiment, the bag is filled at the primary source ofwater. For example, the bag may be filled at a glacier. Thus, the waterwill be sourced directly from the catchment points of streams and riversfed from glacier water melt, but the water may not be exclusively fromthe catchment points. In another embodiment the bag is filled withreserved water from the source at an intermediate port. In thisembodiment, the VLB may be filled after the VLB are in the ocean, lake,river, etc. When mechanisms are available to load a VLB full of water orother liquid into the ocean or port, then the bag may be filled beforeit is in the water. Other embodiments may partially fill the bag withwater before the bag is placed into the ocean, river, etc.

In various embodiments, the type, number, configuration, and system ofvalves; pumps; inlets; and outlets on the VLB—for emptying andfilling—may vary. In one embodiment, at least one 2 inch or a 3 inchvalve is used. In some embodiments a ball valve may be used to fill anddrain the bag. Typically, the valves are metal or plastic, but valves ofother materials may be used. A variety of bulkhead configurations may beemployed to best accommodate the water being shipped. In one embodiment,a valve is placed on the top, rear side of the bag. The valve may stickout of the side of the bag or may be disposed within the bag. Further,the valves may be located on the outside of the bag in some applicationsand pushed into the bag for shipping and transportation. In anotherembodiment, the bags may be filled with water by using a product inletentry point at the base of the bag located proximate to the shippingcontainer door. The top of the bag may also have vents to allow for thedisplacement of air while the bag is being filled.

The valve may be used to fill and drain the water into and out of thebag. Other embodiments may locate the valve at different locations onthe bag. Additional embodiments may include more than one valve. Somevalves may be used only for filling the bag while other valves may beused to drain the bag. In one embodiment, a drain comprising a tube withperforations laid across the bottom of the bag (e.g., a French drain) isused to drain the water out of the bag. In other embodiments, if thevalve is higher than the bottom of the bag, then a pump or impeller maybe used to pump the water up to the valve.

In some embodiments, the inlet for filling the bag also serves as theoutlet to drain the bag. Thus, the vents may allow for the intake of airwhile the bag is draining the water. Typically, the water outlets aregravity-fed so that a pump is not needed to discharge the water in thebag. The bags may be rolled to unload most of the water. In oneembodiment, a pump may be used to pump water out of the bag.Specifically, pumps may be used for longer runs (i.e., tubing or pipes)or where the water needs to be moved uphill.

In various embodiments, the water bag may have one or more of thestandard fitting options: a 2 inch (50 mm) male camlock with ball valveand dust cap (one piece construction); 3 inch (75 mm) male camlock withball valve and dust cap (two piece construction); top fill and decant;top fill and bottom decant; and bottom fill and bottom decant.

The water bags may be supplied with a centrally located pressure reliefvalve to meet any OH&S standard around the world regarding the issue ofhaving personnel in a confined space, especially once the water bag isfull and ready for shipment.

In one embodiment, a channel welding system may be employed that allowsthe quality of each weld to be inspected before the next is started,ensuring the highest standards of quality are met with each bladder.

Various methods may be employed to empty the bags or VLB of water. Suchmethods are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,759 to Yaffe, U.S. Pat. No.8,322,294 to Bowhay, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,135 to Kranebitter, whichare incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

In some embodiments, the VLBs are reusable and thus in some distributionschemes the VLBs can be used for more than one filling cycle. The bagsmay also be recycled after they can no longer be filled and transported.Thus, in one embodiment, once a bag is no longer useable to transportwater, the bag may be recycled and used to make water bottles.Specifically, portions of the bags that are HDPE or other recyclableplastic can be used in plastic bottles for water.

The bags may be foldable such that they can be folded and shipped backto the water source for refilling. Alternatively, the bags may be brokendown into component materials for recycling depending upon thedistribution scheme and distance from the water filling source.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the ice itself may betransported to an agreed upon location. In such embodiment, ice in therequired volume and having the desired characteristics, would be removedfrom the glacier or ice cap, and transported directly to the agreed uponlocation. Transport of such ice could be achieved in several ways. Forexample, the ice could be allowed to melt during transport such thatupon arrival, it is in a liquid form and ready for consumption.Alternatively, the ice could be kept frozen such that it arrives at itsfinal destination in its original form. Such transportation can beachieved using technology known to those in the refrigeration arts.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the water is transported toa different geographical location than where it is sequestered, withoutaffecting the characteristics of the water. In one embodiment, the wateris transported at least 10 miles, at least 250 miles, at least 500miles, at least 1000 miles, or at least 10,000 miles, from the locationwhere it is sequestered. Such distances can also be measured usingkilometers, nautical miles, and the like.

It is another aspect of one embodiment of the present invention toprovide a method of scheduling the shipping, storing, and delivery ofwater in VLBs. In one embodiment, the bags are towed by ships that arenot completely full, and, thus, the shipping price is reduced because itdoes not take much extra fuel or power to tow the VLB (i.e., the Expediamodel of shipping water: ship when there is room and a discount). Thewater can be stored before and after it is shipped such that the time ofthe shipment either does not depend on the purchase date or onlyslightly depends on the water purchase date. Additionally, models couldbe used predict when and where will need water and VLB can be shipped tothese locations before these locations actually purchase the water andthe water can be stored in the VLB similar to a water island (i.e., warzones, the Middle East in the summer, hurricane season in the Caribbeanand southeastern United States, the deserts of Chile in the summer,etc.). In one embodiment, the water is shipped in the VLBs to certainlocations when the currents favor shipping to that location, i.e.,travel with the current to reduce fuel costs and thus shipping costs. Inother embodiments, the timing of the shipping is dependent upon theurgency of the water delivery. If the buyer needs the water quickly,then the water will be shipped right away and the cost of shipping maybe increased.

Yet another aspect of embodiments of the present invention is to providea method of scheduling the shipping, storing, and delivery of the wateron boats of different types. Thus, shipping routes traditionally used bycontainer ships may tow the VLB. Alternatively, shipping routestraditionally used by bulk carriers or oil tankers may tow the VLB. Thewater source location and the water destination location will likelyaffect the type of boat/ship used to transport the water. Acomprehensive map of global shipping routes may be used to determine thebest route and type of boat. For example, the map developed by PabloKaluza, Andrea Koelzsch, Michael T. Gastner, and Bernard Blasius andprinted in the Journal of Royal Society may be used, and is incorporatedby reference herein in its entirety.

In various embodiments, organic thin-film solar cells are provided incombination with a vessel for holding and/or towing water. In oneembodiment, organic thin-film solar cells for converting solar energyinto forms of energy that may be used throughout the transport vehicle,bags of water, and/or system are provided in combination with a bag forholding and/or towing water. “Transport vehicle” as used herein refersto any vehicle for transporting items, e.g., ships, boats, trains, cars,trucks, semis/tractor trailers, planes, etc. Examples of thin-film solarcells are provided in U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2012/0248878 to Iwanaga, the entire disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference. Thin-film solar cells, or photovoltaics, arevery light-weight and can be integrated into various materials. In someembodiments, light, flexible, thin-film organic solar cells are appliedto surfaces of the vessel and/or bags holding water. U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2012/0312364 to Uhrich et al. describes anorganic solar cell and is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety. Organic solar cells can be very thin and thus require littlematerial and energy to produce, thereby reducing their environmentalimpact. However, any type of solar energy conversion means currentlyknown or later invented may be used. For example, photovoltaic energytechnology such as that disclosed in U.S. Patent App. Pub. Nos.2013/0026978, 2012/0223583, and 2008/0196581 to Cooly and U.S. PatentApp. Pub. Nos. 2010/0015325 and 2005/0284361 to Muis, which areincorporated by reference herein in their entireties, may be used withembodiments of the present invention.

Furthermore, known methods and systems for mounting the photovoltaicmaterial on the shipping containers or bags of water may be employed,such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,365,266 to Heckeroth, whichis incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Organic solar cellsmay also be used to coat a wide range of surfaces, including windowsthat transmit light while generating electricity. One skilled in the artwill recognize many benefits of using organic solar cells in embodimentsof the current invention. For example, the ship or transport vehicleswould be more efficient by reducing dead-weight as fuel storagerequirements and other energy production requirements are reduced by useof electricity generating films applied to structural surfaces. Forexample, the ship or transport vehicles would be more efficient byreducing the dead-weight of stored fuel because the solar cells on thebags or shipping containers may generate some of the shipping vehicle'selectricity. Other energy production requirements (e.g., electricity forthe crew, such as lighting, power, air conditioning, heating, waterheaters, etc., electricity for the communication systems, GPS, radar,sonar, etc.) are also reduced by use of electricity generating filmsapplied to the bags' surfaces and structural surfaces of the containers.Electricity produced from solar energy may be used for any purpose onthe transport vehicle, for example to run lighting, air conditioners,heaters, etc., to purify water for sailors' use, to power the ship'sengines, to power GPS or sonar equipment, etc. In some embodiments, thetowable bags provide solar power, and have detectors to detectdeviations in the cargo (e.g., temperature, leaks, etc.) or surroundingconditions (e.g., weather, GPS location, sun direction and intensity,etc.) similar to the smart containers described in U.S. Pat. No.7,002,472 to Stratmoen et al., which is incorporated by reference hereinin its entirety.

Using thin film solar cells on the bags reduces the need for large,bulky, heavy solar panels and solar panel support structures. Thus, thefilm solar cells save space and weight on board the towable bag.

Additionally, barrier films are contemplated for coating and protectingportions of bags in accordance with the present disclosure. Examples ofsuch barrier films include, but are not limited to backing films withinorganic barriers, such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2011/0303277 to Neumann, the entire disclosure of whichis hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. For example, it iscontemplated that a bag or water container of the present disclosurefurther comprises a barrier foil, comprising: a weathering-resistantprotective layer and a backing layer comprising a barrier layer, whereinthe protective layer is weathering-resistant, and wherein the barrierlayer, comprising at least one inorganic oxide, improves a barriereffect with respect to water vapor and oxygen.

Various embodiments of the present invention contemplate the use ofcomputer-controlled, wind-powered sailing ships to increase fuelefficiency and/or increase velocity of a ship or towed bag of liquid.Such features are provided on at least one of a towed-bag and a cargoship. The rigging is operated from the bridge by remote control, andthere is thus little need for additional crew or skill aboard thevessel. It is further contemplated that the sails are also provided withsolar panels. The use of sails and/or photovoltaic solar cells reducesthe amount of fuel used by the ship or vessel towing the VLB becauseenergy from the sails and/or solar cells may be used to power the towingvessel. Additionally or alternatively, the energy produced by the sailsand/or solar cells may be used to power engines on or secured to the VLBsuch that the towing vessel only guides the VLB and the VLB uses thesolar or wind energy to move itself through the water. The addition ofsolar cells and/or sails may reduce the fuel consumption of the towingvessel by up to 100% in some conditions and up to 80% in othersituations.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,341 to Newman, the entire disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a solarpowered electric ship system. Newman discloses, for example,photovoltaic solar module array electrical arrangements on sails. Suchfeatures may be provided in combination which additional features of thepresent disclosure. In one embodiment, for example, one or more sailsheets are provided to aid in the propulsion of a cargo ship, tug boat,and/or bags. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,194,790 to Griffin et al., whichis hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a solarsail power generation that is suitable for use in various embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

It is known that raised sails and masts generally provide additionalresistance when a ship is under engine or diesel power alone. It isfurther known that the heights of such features pose variouscomplications for passing ships under bridges and similarinfrastructure. Accordingly, the present invention contemplatescomputer-controlled sail features wherein at least one of sails andmasts are regulated based on wind speed and direction. Such features aredeployed and retracted as needed, based on environmental conditions,user-preferences, and various similar needs.

The following references, related to transporting watercraft with theaid of sails or sail-like features, are hereby incorporated by referencein their entireties: U.S. Pat. No. 7,798,083 to Wrage, U.S. Pat. No.7,287,481 to Wrage et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,117,977 to Reusch, U.S. Pat.No. 7,971,545 to Wrage, U.S. Pat. No. 7,672,761 to Wrage et al., U.S.Pat. No. 8,056,490 to Wrage, U.S. Pat. No. 8,215,588 to Wrage et al.,U.S. Pat. No. 7,866,271 to Wrage et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,546,813 toWrage, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,504,741 to Wrage et al. In some embodiments,one or more freely flying kite-like elements are connected to thetowed-bag or ship by a cable or hawser to provide extra propulsion.These kite-like elements can incorporate solar power generation layersor structures. The kite-like structures take advantage of higher windspeeds at greater altitude compared to wind speeds at the surface of theocean. The kite-like elements can be raised or lowered to take advantageof suitable winds. In some instances, winds at altitude may be in a morefavorable direction than surface winds, allowing the kite-likestructures to pull the ship or towed-bag on a more efficient course thantraditional sails. The kite-like elements further can also be used tostabilize the ship or towed-bag by reducing vessel movements. Thekite-like elements can be controlled by an automated element with windand weather sensors as well as accelerometers, there-by reducing crewrequirements.

In one embodiment, natural sources of energy are harnessed to powervarious functions such as moving and/or circulating water through awater bag, forming an electric barrier around the bag to deter variouscreatures, powering lighting elements, GPS units, and rudders, and evenproviding propulsion for the towed bag device itself. It is furthercontemplated that power systems aboard a towing device (e.g., tug boat)may be synced with powered devices of a bag unit so as to supplement oneor the other. In further embodiments, wind energy may be harnessed tomove the bag or vessel through the use of towers, sails, windmills, etc.

In some embodiments, the water bags reduce costs by eliminating and/orreducing return expenses. Plus, the water bags alleviate the need toclean the container. Accordingly, in one embodiment each bag mayinstalled new to eliminate cross contamination problems and to ensuringthe integrity of the water. In an alternate embodiment, the bags may bereused to transport the same type of water. Additionally, the water bagsmay be cleaned after each use to transport water of a different type orof the same type and to ensure that the water quality is not reduced dueto contaminates such as bacteria, algae, mold, dirt, etc.

In some embodiments, the present invention utilizes existing systems anddevices of water, liquid, and/or gas transport to convey or store water.For example, in various embodiments, devices and systems may beretro-fitted or reconstructed in such a way to safely and efficientlytransport large volumes of water. U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,492 to Cuneo etal, U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,779 to Kawaichi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,451,604to Yoshida et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,802 to Ooka, U.S. Pat. No.4,331,129 to Hong et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,997,643 to Wille et al.,U.S. Patent Application Nos. 2008/0110091 to Perkins et al, 2005/0095068to Wille et al., 2009/0126400 to Pozivil, 2005/0276666 to Wille et al.,and 2008/0127654 to Darling et al. are incorporated by reference hereinin their entireties.

One of skill in the art will recognize that where quantities of waterare to be stored, degradation of water quality may become a concern.Accordingly, various embodiments of the present invention contemplate adevice, which is adapted for preventing growth and propagation of mold,mildew, algae and other deleterious effects caused over time to aquantity of water.

In various embodiments, methods for maintaining purity and sterility ofthe water are provided. By way of example and to further provide supportand disclosure, the following references are incorporated by referenceherein in their entireties:

U.S. Pat. No. 7,731,847 to Huy (“Huy”) discloses a submersible reverseosmosis desalination apparatus and method with a submersibledesalination unit composed of a structure containing a water intakesystem for acquiring sea water, a sea water pre-filtration system forremoving lager contaminants and debris, a reverse osmosis system for thepurification of the water, a permeate transfer system to carry the waterto where it will be used, a power source for powering the equipment usedin the process and a control system that operates and monitors theequipment and process of removing salt from the water and transferringthe desalinated water to other use and returning the brine solution tothe sea. Huy is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,005 to Fok et al. (“Fok”) discloses an ocean depthreverse osmosis fresh water factory. Further, Fok discloses a processfor the desalination of sea water by lowering from a floating platformsets of vessels, which are constructed or laminated in part with reverseosmosis elements, into the ocean depth to extract fresh water.Thereafter, the fresh water filled vessel is to be lifted individuallyfrom the ocean depth by means of a mechanical lifting system to apredetermined elevation above the sea surface to facilitate the deliveryof the extracted fresh water to a coastal water transportation systemvia a valve at the bottom of the vessel which is also connected to awater delivery pipeline. Fok is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,886 to Hicks et al. (“Hicks”) discloses wave-powereddesalination of water using a device for the reverse osmoticdesalination of water wherein the required energy is derived from waves.Hicks is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

For example, in one embodiment, ultra-violet light is periodicallyapplied to stored quantities of water so as to neutralize or destroyvarious bacteria, viruses and protozoan cysts such as giardia andcryptosporidia.

Ultraviolet technology and other purification methods known or describedherein may be used with the water bags if the water is stored in the bagfor long periods of time. UV purification can kill germs, mold,bacteria, etc. that may grow in the bags after long storage durations.Additionally, the water may be stored for longer periods of time if suchpurifications methods are employed. The UV purification methods may beemployed on the water while the water is in the bag or the purificationmethods may be employed as the water is removed from the bags.Furthermore, if the water is stored for long durations and suchpurification methods are not available, then the water may be used forirrigation or construction purposes (i.e., purposes not requiringpotable water) or the water may be put into the municipality's watertreatment facility.

In some embodiments, the bags may include particular surface textures(either internally or externally or both) that may prevent undesiredbacterial contamination of such surfaces. One particular aspect ofvarious embodiments will, therefore, include a surface generally knownas Sharklet™. Sharklet™ is the world's first technology to inhibitbacterial survival, growth, transfer and migration through patternalone. The Sharklet surface is comprised of millions of tiny diamondsarranged in a distinct pattern that mimics the microbe-resistantproperties of sharkskin. Sharklet is a simple, cost-effective solutionfor bacterial control. Sharklet is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,347,970to Kim et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,143,709 to Brennan et al., U.S. Pat. No.7,650,848 to Brennan et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,117,807 to Bohn, Jr. etal., the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by referenceherein in their entireties. Sharklet is also described in U.S. PatentPublication Nos. 2010/0226943 to Brennan et al., 2010/0126404 to Brennanet al., 2010/0119755 to Chung et al., and 2011/0311769 to Chen et al.and International Patent Publication No. WO 2011/071892 to Magin, etal., the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by referenceherein in their entireties.

These methods for maintaining purity and sterility of the water may beused with any embodiments described herein. For example, water may bepurified or sterilized while being stored or transported in a large bagtowed behind a ship, in a large bag in a shipping container, in acontainer on a train, in the cargo compartments on a ship, in theballast compartments on a ship, in empty oil tanks on a train or truck,in empty oil tankers, etc.

In one embodiment, the VLB may be considered a drone because it hassystems to navigate, propel, stop, and steer the VLB without the needfor another vessel to tow the VLB or the need for a person to beon-board the VLB to control it. Thus, the VLB may include an engine, oneor more propellers, steering mechanisms, a breaking system, sensors andcontrols, navigation equipment, etc. Furthermore, the breaking systemmay create power or store energy for other systems, similar to currenthybrid and electric car motors. Thus, some embodiments may include anenergy storage system.

In some embodiments, one or more drones may be secured to the VLB tomove the VLB. The drone may be a device with propulsion and navigationcapabilities. The drone will not need a human on board to control ornavigate the drone and VLB. Thus, the drone controller may be locatedthousands of miles away from the drone and the VLB. In one embodiment,the one or more drones may use energy from photovoltaic solar arrays,windmills, or other renewable energy produced by components of the VLBto power the drones' engines and to power the drones' navigationsystems. The drones may also be used to get the bag moving (i.e., enoughinertia to make the bag move with the towing vessel) and/or slow down orstop the VLB once the VLB is approaching its destination.

The following references disclose drone and automated systems and arehereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties to providewritten description and enablement support: U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2013/0228645 to Speybroeck; U.S. Pat. No. 8,527,457 toMoon; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0221158 toBinkholder; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0210461 toMoldaysky; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0197717 toFraser; U.S. Pat. No. 8,492,023 to Sastry; U.S. Pat. No. 8,488,246 toBorder; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0175404 to Shefer;U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0175382 to Brutoco; U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0230747 to Patolsky; U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2013/0220205 to Henriksen; and U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2013/0160692 to Skiadas.

In some embodiments, drones may be secured to the VLB most of the timeeven though the VLB is being towed by a tug or other towing vessel.Thus, the drones may be powered off or may be in a standby mode, inwhich only tracking or other sensory functions are working and thedrones' engines are powered off. In another embodiment, the drones mayassist in the towing of the VLB by using their engines to pull or pushthe VLB through the water. Thus, the towing vessel will have to use lessfuel and/or power to tow the VLB. In alternative embodiments, the dronesmay be used in times of storms or rough seas. For example, if the VLB isbeing towed by a vessel and they encounter a strong storm, the vesselwith the crew may detach the VLB and sail to safety while the VLB waitsout the storm in the sea. The drones may be powered on or may be used tokeep the VLB in roughly the same position throughout the storm.Accordingly, the drones may use their navigation software and sensors todetermine the direction of the storm and ensure the drones' enginescounteract the storm's forces. The drones will allow the tug or othervessel to track the VLB's location after the storm has passed. Knowntracking software and components, such as GPS receivers for example, maybe used to track the drones and the VLB. Alternatively, the drones maycontinue to move the VLB through the ocean during the storm while thetowing vessel is safely away from the storm. In some embodiments, thedrones may interconnect and detach from the VLB at any time depending onthe needs of the system. With respect to the various systems and methodsthat may be employed in the use of drones with VLBS, incorporated hereinby this reference for written description and enablement purposes isU.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0276105 to Lacaze, et al.

In one embodiment, the VLB may not need to be towed at all. Rather, theVLB will have drones secured to the VLB to move the VLB through theocean or sea to the VLB's destination.

In various embodiments, the VLB may include a security system to protectthe contents from theft. For example, the valves and/or ports are lockedfor additional security and may be unlocked from a remote location whenthe VLB arrives at its destination and the entity desiring or requestingthe liquid contents is ready to receive the liquid contents. Suchlocking apparatuses are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,058,985 to Dobsonet al., which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. U.S.Pat. No. 7,690,319 to Wingate, which is incorporated by reference hereinin its entirety, discloses an anchoring system and method for dockingand/or mooring vehicles, particularly watercraft and for restrainingloads in truck beds or trailers. The apparatus utilizes ropes or cablesin housing unit that provides for the extension and refraction of therope or cables preferably without the need of electrical or manualcranks A method of providing restraining means to a container linersimilar to the one described in PCT Patent Application No. WO2012/020259 to Massie, which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety, may also be used.

The towable vessel may also need a breaking system to slow down or stopthe VLB. The VLB may be up to 800 meters long and thus require a lot offorce to stop the VLB.

In some embodiments, a method for storing and conveying fluids isprovided. The method comprises: (a) providing: a non-rigid,water-impermeable device with an elongate shape having a first end, asecond end and having a generally streamlined shape in plan view; thefirst end comprising a first attachment device; the second endcomprising a second attachment device; at least two ports for intake andexhaust of fluids; at least one of the at least two ports comprising avalve for a user to adjust buoyancy of the device; at least a portion ofthe device containing a fluid of lower density than a fluid throughwhich the device is transported; one or more valves in two-waycommunication with at least a portion of an interior volume of thedevice and an outside environment; a transmitter for conveyinginformation related to the geographic position of the device; at least aportion of an internal surface area of the device being comprised of aflexible and tear resistant material; at least two mooring devices; andan anchored member having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinallength; (b) securing the first attachment device of the first end to oneof the at least two mooring devices; (c) securing the second attachmentdevice of the second end to the second of the at least two mooringdevices; (d) storing an entirety of the fluid of lower density in thenon-rigid, water permeable device; (e) stabilizing the non-rigid,water-impermeable device by mooring the non-rigid, water-impermeabledevice to a fixed or floating object; (f) signaling a physical positionof the non-rigid, water-impermeable device; (g) tracking the non-rigid,water-impermeable device; (h) conveying the non-rigid, water-impermeabledevice to a predetermined destination through salt water; and (i)emptying the non-rigid, water-impermeable device of fluids through oneof the at least two ports. In one embodiment, the method furthercomprises providing one or more photovoltaic arrays to collect solarenergy, the arrays being adapted to contact a non-submerged surface ofthe non-rigid, water-impermeable device during the conveying step. Inanother embodiment, the method further comprises using the solar energyto power one or more functions of the non-rigid, water-impermeabledevice, the one or more functions selected from the group consisting ofsupplying power to engines employed in the conveying step; supplyingpower to enable the emptying step; and supplying power to one or moredevices responsible for the steps of tracking, stabilizing andsignaling. The fluid of lower density may be fresh water. Providing awater purification system and treating the fresh water may also beincluded in the method. In various embodiments, the method furthercomprises providing one or more drones, wherein the drones are capableof maneuvering the non-rigid, water-impermeable device. In someembodiments, the method further comprises segregating different liquidswithin the device; controlling the amount of air within a portion of thedevice to adjust buoyancy of the device; venting the device in a mannerthat prevents entrance of contaminants into the device.

In some embodiments, a method for storing and conveying fluids isprovided comprising: (a) providing: a non-rigid, water-impermeabledevice with an elongate shape having a first end, a second end, thefirst end comprising a first attachment device, and the second endcomprising a second attachment device; a plurality of ports for intakeand exhaust of fluids; at least one of the plurality of ports comprisinga valve for the user to adjust buoyancy of the non-rigid,water-impermeable device; at least a portion of the device containing afluid of lower density than a fluid through which the non-rigid,water-impermeable device is transported; one or more valves in two-waycommunication with at least a portion of an interior volume of thenon-rigid, water-impermeable device and an outside environment; atransmitter for conveying information related to the geographic positionof the non-rigid, water-impermeable device; at least a portion of aninternal surface area of the non-rigid, water-impermeable device beingcomprised of a flexible and tear resistant material; and a mooringdevice; (b) securing the first attachment device of the non-rigid,water-impermeable device to the mooring device; (c) signaling a physicalposition of the non-rigid, water-impermeable device; (d) tracking thenon-rigid, water-impermeable device using a device that receives GPSinformation; and (e) transmitting coordinates of the non-rigid,water-impermeable device at predetermined temporal increments. Themethod may further comprise rapidly emptying the non-rigid,water-impermeable device of fluids through at least one of the pluralityof ports. In one embodiment, the method comprises steering thenon-rigid, water-impermeable device via one or more skegs positioned onthe device. In another embodiment, the method further comprisesproviding at least one of a photovoltaic array and a windmill to collectrenewable energy. In one embodiment, the method includes deflating thenon-rigid, water-impermeable device to reduce a volume of the device forease of transport; preserving the integrity of the fluid containedwithin the non-rigid, water-impermeable device when the non-rigid,water-impermeable device is in a submerged position; coating theinternal surface of the non-rigid, water-impermeable device to preservethe purity of the lower density fluid; and identifying the plurality ofports for the intake and exhaust of fluids via a marking system thatidentifies which of the plurality of ports for the intake and exhaust offluids are associated with compartments that are connected to at leastone of the ports. In some embodiments, the positioning step may includestoring the non-rigid, water-impermeable device in a generallyhorizontal position with respect to a water line using the mooringdevice and a second mooring device and securing the second mooringdevice to the second attachment device of the second end of thenon-rigid, water-impermeable device. In another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises: operatively associating one or more photovoltaicarrays to the non-rigid, water-impermeable device; and generatingelectrical power from the solar arrays.

These and other needs are addressed by the various embodiments andconfigurations of the present invention. These and other advantages willbe apparent from the disclosure of the invention(s) contained herein.The above-described embodiments, objectives, and configurations areneither complete nor exhaustive. As will be appreciated, otherembodiments of the invention are possible using, alone or incombination, one or more of the features set forth above or described indetail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a towed vessel suitable for transportingliquids according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a towed vessel suitable fortransporting liquids.

FIG. 3 is a diagram depicting various features of a towed vesselsuitable for transporting liquids according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of a towed vesselsuitable for transporting liquids according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a towed vessel suitablefor transporting liquids according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of a towed vessel suitable fortransporting liquids according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the present invention according toone embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the present invention according toone embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of an embodiment of a towed vessel in ananchored position.

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of another embodiment of a towed vesselin an anchored position.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of an embodiment of a towed vessel withdrones.

FIGS. 12A-E are embodiments of water drones.

FIG. 13 is an embodiment of a water transporting system.

FIG. 14 is an embodiment of a towing vessel with a sail towing a towedvessel.

FIG. 15 is an embodiment of a towing vessel with a sail.

FIG. 16 is an embodiment of a towing vessel and a towed vessel.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of a towed vesselsuitable for transporting liquids according to one embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of a towed vesselsuitable for transporting liquids according to one embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional side elevation view of a towed vesselsuitable for transporting liquids according to one embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a side perspective view of a towed vessel suitable fortransporting liquids according to one embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a top plan view of a towed vessel suitable for transportingliquids in a stationary and secured position according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 22 shows a moving vessel transporting liquids according to oneembodiment.

FIGS. 23A-B show a vessel comprising two liquids of different densitiesaccording to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a towable vessel 10 for transporting fluent cargoes. Notethat the towable vessel may also be called a bag, bladder, very largebag, or VLB herein. In one embodiment of the present invention, atowable vessel 10 may comprise a plurality of ports 14 suitable for theinlet and removal of fluids to be transported. One of skill in the artwill recognize that a plurality of such ports may be useful in fluidremoval operations, both as a means to increase the flow rate of fluidinto a vessel 10 and/or to allow for air intake into one port 14 whilefluid is extracted from another port 14. In some operations, it may bedesirable to transport extremely large volumes of fluid. For example, itmay be desirable to transport in excess of 35,000 tons of water in asingle vessel 10. Accordingly, increased flow rates to and from a vesselmay be desirable and stand to increase the overall efficiency of thesystem and fluid transport operations.

Vessels 10 of the present invention may be comprised of a variety ofnon-rigid, flexible materials including, but not limited to, urethane,polyurethane, urethane-coated polyesters, thermoplastic urethane coatednylon, vinyl, and other similar materials or various combinations of thesame. Those of skill in the art will recognize the various advantages ofconstructing a vessel 10 of the present invention out of a flexiblematerial, including, but not limited to, the ability to easily store andtransport the towable vessel 10 when it is not in use for transportingliquids.

In one embodiment, a towable vessel 10 further comprises a reinforcingmember 18 on at least one node or end of the vessel 10 for attachment totowing members and towing vessels. Reinforcing members 18 may becomprised of rigid structures fastened to or otherwise connected to apliable or flexible container 22 and capable of withstanding varioustension forces imparted to the vessel 10 during towing. Reinforcingmembers 18 may further be connected to reinforcing seams 26 which travelthrough a longitudinal length of a towable vessel 10. Reinforcing seams26 may be comprised of a variety of known materials, including, but notlimited to metal cables, nylon cords, plastics, and various othermaterials suitable for withstanding tensile loading. The reinforcingseams 26 may be positioned is specific areas and at specific anglesrelative to a horizontal plane and/or other reinforcing seams 26. Insome embodiments, the reinforcing seams 26 are woven, similar to aseatbelt for an automobile or airplane. The reinforcing seams 26 may bewoven such that there is no end of a reinforcing seam 26 to reducefraying and weak points. Reinforcing seams 26 may transmit and resistforces applied to a towed portion of the vessel 10, thereby reducingunwanted deflection of the vessel 10 and associated drag on the vessel10.

In an alternative embodiment, a towed vessel 10 comprises an ellipsoidshaped hull (when in a filled state) to reduce drag, at least one airchamber to maintain the vessel in an upright position, one or more ports14 for filling and/or emptying the vessel, one or more removablebladders capable of containing and segregating different liquids ormaterials, and one or more devices capable of selectively controllingthe amount of air within a portion of the towable vessel 10 andcorresponding buoyancy.

It will be recognized that the shape of the vessel 10 may take variousdifferent forms, depending upon the desired quantity of fluid to betransported, characteristics of the vessel(s) towing the vessel 10, andother factors. However, it will further be recognized that it isdesirable to reduce drag in water towing applications. Accordingly, itis known that drag on the vessel 10 will decrease as the wetted surfacearea and width of the vessel 10 decrease, and while length increases.Therefore, in order to improve towing efficiency, an optimal geometricdesign may be constructed.

FIG. 2 depicts a side elevation view of one embodiment of the presentinvention with respect to a water line 30. In water towed operations, itmay be desirable to adjust the buoyancy of the towable vessel 10, eitherdue to various environmental conditions or based on the amount anddensity of the liquid contained within the vessel 10. Accordingly, thepresent invention contemplates operating a vessel 10 at various depthswithin a body of water. Variable buoyancy may be obtained, for example,through the use of a dorsal bladder (not shown) which contains air or agas of lower density than a material to be towed, which both maintainsthe vessel 10 in an upright position and provides a certain amount ofbuoyancy relative to the vessel's surroundings. Alternatively, air orgas may be housed within a main portion of the device 10 to providesimilar functionality.

In one embodiment, ports 14 include the ability to exhaust and intakeair based on a desired level of buoyancy. For example, one or more ports14 are equipped with means, such as reversible impellers to draw air inor exhaust air from a previously disclosed bladder or from one or morefluid containing compartments of the vessel 10.

Buoyancy may be adjusted, for example, when various environmentalconditions change. In long-distance open-sea transit, it is known thattemperature changes may occur in the surrounding waters. Accordingly, afluid containing vessel 10 that has been towed in relatively cold watersfor a length of time may obtain an increased density due to coolingeffects from the surrounding water. When such a cooled vessel 10 reacheswarmer waters, and particularly when there is an abrupt transition, thecooled vessel 10 may have a tendency to sink or reside lower in itssurrounding water. To account for this, embodiments of the presentinvention comprise means for taking in additional air and increasingbuoyancy. For example, ports 14 comprise manually activated or logicdriven motors to adjust buoyancy while the device is in operation. Amanually activated motor may be controlled from within a towing vesselor from another remote location and may allow a user to increase thevolume of air contained within a vessel 10 based on the visualappearance of the vessel 10 or other indicia. Logic driven motors may becomprised of devices which sense one of: a difference between thetemperate of water within the vessel 10 and the vessel 10 itself, asudden change in the temperature of the water within which the vessel 10is being towed, or the amount of submersion of the vessel 10 within itssurroundings. For example, a sensor may be employed at a certainlocation of the vessel 10 which senses the presence of an unacceptablyhigh level of submersion and triggers motor(s) within one or more ports14 to intake air and thereby increase the buoyancy of the vessel 10.

It will be recognized that it is often desirable to prevent materials,such as rain, sea water, and other contaminants from entering the ports14 and thus impacting the purity of water or fluids to be transported.Accordingly, the present invention contemplates means to secure theports 14 when venting or adding fluid or gas is not desired. Forexample, covers suitable for preventing the unwanted entrance ofmaterials may be selectively actuated, such as by a remote user.Alternatively, ports 14 for venting air may be connected solely to abladder which is not interconnected to a main fluid containing portionof the device 10. In one embodiment, physical barriers may beconstructed around ports 14 which allow for the entrance and exhaust ofgas, but prevent the unwanted entrance of various fluids andcontaminates.

In one embodiment, one or more one-way valves may be constructed on aportion of the vessel 10 that is to reside above the water line. One-wayvalves are known to those of skill in the art and may be provided toallow for the venting of gases, yet still prevent the unwanted entranceof other fluids or contaminants. For example, one one-way valve may beemployed to allow for the release of air when less buoyancy is desiredand another may be provided to allow for the opposite flow of air into avessel 10 when greater buoyancy is desired. In one embodiment, one ormore of these valves are selectively controlled by a user. In thismanner, a user may have discretion as to when to insert air (i.e., auser may elect to insert air during optimal conditions when the risk oftaking sea or rainwater is low) and/or remove air.

As shown, one or more fins or skegs 34 may be included on a vessel at alocation below the water line 30 to increase directional stability ofthe vessel 10 while being towed. In one embodiment, one or more skegs 34may be selectively controlled to assist in steering and/or maneuveringthe potentially cumbersome vessel.

In one embodiment, the present invention comprises locating means. Aswill be recognized, submerged or partially submerged vessels may bedifficult to identify, particularly in poor lighting conditions or atnight. Additionally, it is a known risk that vessels 10 of the presentinvention and similar objects may become dislodged from their towingvessel. In such circumstances, these vessels 10 may pose significantsafety risks. While it is an aspect of the present invention that damageto or loss of devices 10 of the present invention pose reduced risk tothe environment, vessels 10 separated from their host or towing vesselmay still pose a collision risk. Accordingly, a transmitting device,such as a Global Positioning System (“GPS”) transmitter is incorporatedinto one embodiment of the present invention. The GPS transmitter may,for example, transmit the coordinates of a vessel 10 at specifiedtemporal increments or when another related device requests suchinformation. Additionally, other vessels or remote locations may beequipped with GPS sensing means to detect and convey the transmittedlocation of a vessel 10.

The vessel 10 may comprise reinforcing seams 26 that extend alongitudinal length of the towable vessel 10. In one embodiment, thevessel 10 may comprise an upper reinforcing seam 26 a along the top ofthe vessel 10, an equatorial reinforcing seam 26 b along the equator ofthe vessel 10, and one or more side reinforcing seams 26 c either aboveor below the equatorial reinforcing seam 26 b. The side reinforcing seam26 c may be an angle A1 away from the equatorial reinforcing seam 26 b.

The towable vessel 10 may experience various forces on the front end ofthe bag when it is being towed. These forces may vary along the surfaceof the bag.

FIG. 3 depicts a towed vessel 10 for fluent cargo transport equippedwith a GPS transponder 38. In one embodiment, the GPS transponder 38 maybe activated remotely, such as when a towing vessel recognizes that ithas lost contact with the towed vessel 10. In another embodiment, thetowed vessel 10 may constantly transmit information regarding its owncoordinates. For example, the vessel 10 may transmit informationregarding its location at predetermined time intervals whether or not itis detached from a towing vessel. In yet another embodiment, a vessel 10may transmit information regarding its location upon request (i.e., atthe receipt of a signal from another location or device). Informationregarding a vessel's 10 position may be transmitted to and received byvarious different locations and objects. For example, the signal andinformation transmitted by a GPS transmitter 38 may be obtained by aremote computing station 42 for processing and displaying theinformation. A remote computing station 42 may reside in a variety oflocations, including on other vessels and various fixed on-shorelocations. Information transmitted by a GPS transmitter 38 may also bereceived by various other vessels 46 potentially in the vicinity of thetowed (or misplaced) vessel 10. Vessels 46 may be equipped withindicator means 50 capable of alerting crew members that a partiallysubmerged object 10 is present in their vicinity and may pose a safetyrisk.

Various other advantages of equipping a vessel 10 with GPS locatingmeans 38 will be recognized by those of skill in the art. For example,the status and progress of a fluid containing vessel 10 may be trackedremotely by interested parties to determine logistical information.

A vessel 10 may comprise visual indicia of its location and size, suchas conventional lighting members positioned at various locations on thevessel 10. Additionally, given the significant width that floatingvessels of the present invention may comprise, it is furthercontemplated that a vessel 10 may be equipped with port and starboardindicator lights to indicate the lateral boundaries of a vessel 10(i.e., conventionally, green lights are used to indicate the starboardside and red lights to indicate the port side).

One of skill in the art will recognize that it may be desirable totransport a vessel 10 of the present invention in an emptied state, suchas when a vessel 10 has been transported from a source to a deliverysite and must thereafter be returned. In these circumstances, it isdesirable to transport the vessel 10 in a manner requiring the leastamount of storage space, weight and fuel costs. Accordingly, oneembodiment of the present invention comprises the ability to at leastpartially deflate or extract a volume of air from a vessel 10 eitherduring emptying operations or subsequent thereto. For example, vacuumpowered means for emptying a vessel 10 may be attached to ports 14 toenable the extraction of an internal volume of fluid. Once all or mostof an internal volume of fluid has been removed, the same or similarvacuum powered devices may be utilized to further extract a remaininginternal volume of air from the vessel 10. It will be recognized that insuch operations, measures may need to be taken to prevent a fullydeflated vessel from sinking. Accordingly, the device 10 may be tetheredto various objects, such as a towing vessel or fixed on-shore objectsvia attachment means 18 or other similar structures on the device 10.Deflating a vessel 10 as described offers the benefits of reducing theoverall weight and volume of a device 10 to be transported, as well asreducing the potential for mold and other contaminants to grow inside ofan otherwise damp and dark internal volume.

Once deflated, a vessel 10 may be further compacted by folding orrolling the vessel 10 onto a storage drum or wheel. Devices for rollinga large vessel 10 onto a storage drum are described in, for example,U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,410 to Reimers, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

As an alternative to deflation, it is contemplated that vessels of thepresent invention may be alternatively filled with an air or gas of asufficiently lower density than water to provide adequate buoyancy. Inthis manner, vessels 10 may then be towed in an “empty” state withminimal drag and associated fuel consumption needed to return a vessel10 to another location for further filling or recycling. For example,helium and/or ambient air may be inserted into an emptied vessel 10 toprovide sufficient buoyancy and minimal drag upon the vessel when towedwithout fluent cargo. In one embodiment, after most of the water hasbeen drained from the towable vessel 10, the vessel is towed back to itspoint of origin with just a small amount of water remaining in the bag.Accordingly, the mostly-empty towable vessel 10 is towed behind a shiplike a noodle.

Embodiments of the present invention may take the form or appearance ofvarious objects which, for example, may hold commercial appeal or value.For example, at least a portion (e.g., a non-submerged portion) of towedvessels 10 of the present invention may comprise specific shapes or formspecific characters for the purpose of displaying an image or a message.Images contemplated by the present invention include, but are notlimited to, those with commercial appeal, such as trademarked orotherwise recognizable images or slogans which can be viewed byindividuals including cruise passengers, airline passengers, andextraterrestrial image sensors (e.g., satellite photography).

It is further contemplated to provide vessels 10 of the presentinvention with the ability to selectively or temporarily display variousimages or messages. For example, portions of a vessel 10 which areinflated may be selectively inflated or positioned to display variousimages or text. In this manner, customizable messages may be displayedto various viewers. Alternatively, a portion of a vessel 10 of thepresent invention may include the ability to display written or markedimages. For example, various inks, dyes, and similar materials may beplaced upon a visible portion of the present invention. Such materialsmay be used to display, for example, the name of a company transportingcontents, a third-party advertiser, or personal messages (e.g., amarriage proposal or a birthday wish).

In one embodiment, the present invention contemplates preserving theintegrity and purity of fluids to be contained within a vessel 10 byincorporating various features and materials of the fluids originalnatural surroundings. For example, embodiments of the present inventionmay be utilized in transporting water from remote and pristine regionsof the Earth. In such applications, various natural features of theseregions, such as natural soils and clays, may be incorporated into inthe towed vessel 10. U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/251,912 toSzydlowski, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety,discloses various benefits of naturally occurring soils when used forwater filtration purposes.

In applications where water to be transported is desired for its naturalcharacteristics, including purity, mineral content, and otherattributes, it is often desirable to maintain those characteristicsthroughout filling, transporting, and emptying a vessel 10. Accordingly,the present invention contemplates various means to preserve purity of atransported fluid, particularly when polyurethane, polyethylene, XR-5vinyl plasticizer, woven cloth, and other materials are employed as thestructure of a vessel 10. As shown in FIG. 4, natural sediment 54 may bedeposited within a towed vessel 10 which may act to isolate vesselcontents from an inner surface of the vessel 10 as well as provide forfiltration of the vessel contents upon entrance or exit from the vessel10. Natural sediment 54 may be comprised of a variety of known soils,preferably those indigenous to the source of the water or fluid to betransported. For example, native clay minerals may be disposed within avessel 10 to serve this function. Those of skill in the art willrecognize the benefits offered by clay, including, but not limited to,its ability to isolate fluids from a vessel's inner surface and itseffectiveness in filtration.

In one embodiment, the vessel 10 may comprise a coating on the top ofthe bag that is UV resistant to protect the integrity of the vessel's 10material and vessel's contents. For example, Tedlar may be used on thetop of the vessel 10.

In addition to acting as an isolating barrier between fluid to betransported and at least a portion of vessel's inner surface, thesediment 54 may also be useful in filtering fluids contained within thevessel 10. For example, where emptying of the vessel 10 is accomplish byconnecting vacuum powered means to ports 14, sediment 54 may be allowedto be drawn toward the ports 14. In one embodiment, this may beaccomplished through the use of one or more flexible tubes or conduits58. Upon reaching the ports 14, the sediment 54 may be allowed to betrapped by any number of known filter devices. Such filter devices mayinclude, for example, various mesh screens which may trap sedimentparticles and create a sedimentary filtration mechanism at an outlet 14of the vessel 10.

In addition to or in lieu of depositing a layer of sediment 54 within avessel 10, the interior surface area of a vessel 10 may be coated with asubstance known to preserve the integrity and purity of fluid to betransported. Various coating methods and substances are known anddescribed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,808,808 to Freeman et al.,which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Oneembodiment of the vessel 10 includes a surface generally known asSharklet™, which inhibits bacterial survival, growth, transfer andmigration through pattern alone. Specific patents and publicationsdescribing the Sharklet surface technology are listed above.

In various embodiments of the present invention, coatings are utilizedon a bottom portion of a vessel 10. For example, where vessels arerequired to be towed into shallow water ports, a risk of puncture ortear to the bottom of the device 10 may be present. Accordingly, anabrasion and tear resistant material comprises at least a lower portionof the vessel 10. For example, various different Teflon fabrics maycomprise or be added to a bottom portion of a vessel 10 to avoidunwanted tearing. Additionally, the bag should be made of a material orhave a coating or layer that prevents puncturing of the bag by animals,ice, boats, rocks, etc.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view depicting one embodimentwhere a towed vessel 10 is comprised of various different internalcompartments. Embodiments of the present invention may include, forexample, a bladder 62 which may be used to provide buoyancy for thevessel 10 as well as assist in maintaining the vessel 10 in asubstantially upright position. In addition to a bladder 62, embodimentsof the present invention may further comprise various compartments 66within a larger vessel body 22. Various sizes and shapes of additionalcompartments 66 may be useful, for example, where a variety of differentfluids are to be transported and comingling of these fluids isundesirable. Embodiments of the present invention comprising multipleinternal compartments 66 allow for the simultaneous transport of, forexample, fresh water, juice, wine, and a variety of other fluids. Toallow access to various different compartments 66, embodiments of thepresent invention provide for a variety of ports 14 which allow forexclusive access to specific compartments 66. For example, eachcompartment 66 may have its own port 14. Ports 14 may be connected tocompartments 66 through previously described flexible tubes or conduits.Embodiments of the present invention further contemplate marking systemsto identify which ports 14 are associated with which compartments 66.For example, where cross-contamination of ports 14, associated tubes orconduits 58, and compartments 66 is undesired (i.e., where one or moreport 14, conduit 58, and compartment 66 should be used only for a singletype of fluent cargo), marking means such as text and color indicatorsare provided on a portion of the port 14 or vessel structure 22 toindicate to a user which materials should or should not be associatedwith a port 14. Those of skill in the art will recognize that thepresent invention is not limited to any number, sizes, or types ofinternal compartments 66. Indeed, the present invention contemplates theuse of a single internal volume within a towed vessel as well asnumerous compartments 66.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a towed vessel 10 furthercomprises mooring devices or means for attaching to mooring devices. Forexample, a towed vessel 10 includes fasteners, rigid members, and/orconnecting devices to allow for a towed vessel 10 to be moored. Devices,and rigid members which may be connected to various portions of amooring device include those disclosed in U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2004/0157513 to Dyhrberg and U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,375 toDavis et al., which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties, and other similar known mooring devices. Including mooringdevices as part of a towed vessel 10 or, alternatively, providing meansto attach a towed vessel 10 to various mooring devices allows for theability to fill or empty devices of the present invention in a number oflocations or orientations, store the towable vessel 10 in a docked oroff-shore location, and generally stabilize the structure 10 whentransport is not desired.

Referring now to FIG. 6, one embodiment of the present invention isshown for storing a towed vessel 10 in a marine environment in asubstantially vertical position with respect to a water line 30. Othervessels 46 may use means described herein to locate or avoid the towedvessel 10. In one embodiment, the present invention is capable ofcarrying up to 1,000,000 m³ of bulk water. Accordingly, those of skillin the art will recognize that such an object, particularly whenoriented in a generally horizontal position, will occupy a significantsurface area. In one embodiment, the vessel 10 may be over 700 meterslong. Therefore, one embodiment of the present invention contemplatesdevices and methods for storing a towed vessel 10 in a generallyvertical position with respect to a water line 30. A first portion 70 ofa towed device is inflated or similarly experiences an increase inbuoyancy while an additional portion 74, preferably disposed at thedistal longitudinal end, is filled with water or similarly experiences adecrease in buoyancy/density. In this manner, the device 10 may beallowed to float on-end and occupy substantially less volume than itwould if docked or allowed to remain horizontal. In one embodiment, thecontents and associated buoyancy of compartments 70, 74 are variedand/or controlled by one or more one-way or two-way valves 14. Forexample, compartment 74 may be filled with water via the control ofvalve 14. The volume of water taken in by valve 14 is then allowed tocool due to its position in a deeper portion of a body of water which isknown to generally be colder than areas disposed closer to the surface30. In one embodiment, valve 14 comprises a two-way valve capable ofdispelling water from a compartment 74 and facilitating therepositioning of the device 10 to a surfaced position.

In an alternative embodiment, a towed vessel 10 may be stored in agenerally vertical position either when it is an emptied or full state.Such a device is capable of being attached to various fixed and/orfloating objects (e.g., mooring devices, which includes buoys) via areinforcing member 18, while a distal end of the device 10 is allowed tosink. In one embodiment, the distal end is allowed to sink by decreasingthe buoyancy of a portion 74 of the vessel 10 through the addition ofwater, sand, ballast, etc., which is further capable of being expelledfrom the device via two-way valve 14 in order to restore the vessel 10to a generally horizontal position.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-8, a towed vessel 10 and associated storagemeans are depicted. When a vessel 10 is to be stored, a reinforcingmember 18 may be attached to a securing device, such as a mooring buoy94 and associated anchor line/chain 98 which may be securely fixed to afloor 102 of a marine environment. Additionally, a second end may besecured to a translatable device 78 positioned on a fixed member 82.Thus, in one embodiment, the vessel 10 resides at the surface 30 of abody of water in a substantially immobile position when the translatabledevice 78 is located at or near a surface position 86. Towed vessels 10of the present invention may be selectively positioned in asubstantially vertical position by translating the translatable device78 along a vertical length of the fixed member 82 so that thetranslatable device 78 and second end of the vessel 10 is disposed in asubmerged position 90. One of skill in the art will recognize thatmooring devices 94, 98 of embodiments of the present invention, althoughgenerally fixed, may be free to translate within a given radius. Thus,when one end of a vessel 10 is submerged, an end attached to a mooringbuoy 94 may reposition itself to a location proximal to the fixed member82, thus allowing the vessel 10 to reside in a substantially verticalposition for storage. The vertical positioning of vessels 10 of thepresent invention may be facilitated by the inclusion of a portion 70 ofthe vessel 10 which retains a sufficient amount of buoyancy so as toprevent the entire vessel 10 from sinking. Alternatively, mooring buoys94 of the present invention may comprise sufficient buoyancy to supporta load applied by a partially submerged vessel 10.

Vertical positioning devices 82 of the present invention may comprisevarious known devices useful in the linear translation of objects. Forexample, worm gears adapted for use in translating associated nuts,pulley systems, hydraulic jack or elevator devices, rail actuators, andvarious other known devices useful for translating a device 78 between araised 86 and lowered 90 position may be incorporated into embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows a towed vessel 10 with solar cells 92 on a top surface ofthe vessel 10. The solar cells 92 may be photovoltaic solar cells in oneembodiment and allow the vessel 10 to collect solar energy for variousfunctions, as described above. Thus, the vessel 10 may have photovoltaiccells 92 on a surface to convert solar energy to electrical power thatmay be utilized on-board a tug 46 or towing vessel. The towable vessel10 may also comprise a windmill 120 a to collect wind energy for usesdescribed above. The vessel 10 may only have solar cells 92 in oneembodiment, may only have a windmill 120 a in another embodiment, or mayhave both solar cells 92 and one or more windmills 120 a in a furtherembodiment. In some embodiments, the vertical positioning device 82 maycomprise a windmill 120 b. Any windmill 120 known in the art may be use.

The following references disclose windmills and wind technology and arehereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties to providewritten description and enablement support: U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2013/0230396 to Wakasa; U.S. Pat. No. 8,522,707 toShiban; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0217822 to Hofmann;U.S. Pat. No. 8,508,065 to Lee; U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2013/0202435 to Beaudoin; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,496,423 to Springett.

FIG. 10 shows a towed vessel 10 with a purification/filtration system104. The purification system 104 may treat the liquid or water in thevessel 10 by circulating the water or liquid through a portinterconnecting the contents of the vessel 10 and the purificationsystem 104. The purification system 104 may operate continuously or onan as-needed basis, which may be determined by sensors within the vessel10. In an alternate embodiment, the purification system 104 may onlytreat the liquid as it is exiting the vessel 10, i.e., as a boat orvessel 46 takes water from the towable vessel 10. The purificationsystem 104 may be powered by solar energy, wind energy, or any othermeans described herein or known in the art. Thus, in one embodiment, thevessel 10 may comprise solar cells 92 or a windmill 120 to power thepurification system 104.

FIG. 11 shows a towed vessel 10 with drones 110 secured thereto. Thedrones 110 may comprise an engine and propulsion mechanisms to maneuverthe vessel 10. The drones 110 may also have sensors, a positioningsystem, and a control system that is remotely operated. Any known waterdrones may be used in embodiments of the present invention. For example,various water drones 112 a-e, as shown in FIGS. 12A-12E, may be used.

FIG. 13 shows one embodiment of a water transport system 1000. Thesystem 1000 may comprise towable vessels 10, drones 110, 112, andsatellites 114 to transport, position, locate, and track water or otherliquids across the world.

FIG. 14 depicts one embodiment of a water transport system 1000comprising a first towing vessel 140, a VLB 144, and at least oneadditional propulsion device 146. As shown in FIG. 14, the VLB 144 is abag or towable vessel, such as those described herein. The additionalpropulsion device 146 provided in FIG. 14 comprises a kite or sailfeature for wind-powered propulsion of the first towing vessel 140 andVLB 144. In various embodiments, propulsion device 146 comprises anauxiliary propulsion source, provided primarily to aid in propulsion andincrease the efficiency of the transport system 1000. It will berecognized that where propulsion device 146 is deployed, a propulsionforce translated via tension cord 148 and connection chords 150 to firstvessel 140 will reduce the fuel/power demands of the first vessel 140.U.S. Pat. No. 8,506,739 to Gautier discloses a method of producing sailsand is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIG. 15 depicts a second embodiment of a water transport system 1000comprising a first towing vessel 140 and at least one sail 146.

In one embodiment of the present invention, water is transported in alarge water bag. Such bags are made of a suitable material, such asplastic, rubber, nylon, combinations thereof, and the like, and can varyin size depending on the amount of water being transported. Such bagshave the advantage of not altering the quantity or characteristic of thewater contained therein. To transfer water using such devices, the bagsare filled with the water to be transported, sealed and then transferredto the final destination. Any method of moving such bags can beemployed. A particularly useful method is to tow such bags through theocean, rivers, or lakes using ships, barges, tankers, boats, and thelike. In one embodiment, unmanned GPS-guided boats tow the bags. Otherspace-based and terrestrial guidance systems may also be used to guidevessels towing such bags. In some embodiments, the vessels operateautonomously. In still other embodiments, the vessels operateautonomously but can receive updated commands and instructions fromremotely located operators. Such transport mechanisms would reduce thecost associated with a crew. FIG. 16 is a side view of a towing andattachment arrangement for a transporter embodiment.

FIG. 17 shows a towable vessel 10 with a straw-like draining mechanism150. The straw 150 allows liquid to be removed from the bag. The vessel10 may also comprise pumps and vacuums to suck liquid out of the bagmore quickly. In another embodiment, a plurality of straws 150 may beused to evacuate the liquid quicker.

FIG. 18 shows the vessel 10 with a fold 152 and a straw-like drainingmechanism 150. The vessel 10 may purposefully be folded to increase thepressure of the contents within the vessel 10 such that the liquid isevacuated quicker than without the fold 152. In other embodiments, thestraw 150 may be a mechanism to release liquid in the vessel 10 and thusreduce the internal pressure of the vessel 10 if the vessel should get afold 152. Air inlets may also be included in the vessel 10 to increasethe speed of the liquid evacuation.

FIG. 19 shows a vessel 10 with a French drain 154. The French drain 154may comprise more than one draining member along the interior of thevessel 10. The French drain 154 also has an outlet 156 to allow theliquid to exit the vessel 10.

FIG. 20 shows a vessel 10 being towed. An arrow 201 shows the directionof travel of the vessel 10. The vessel 10 may comprise a sail 200 thatuses wind, shown by arrow 202, to further assist in the towing of thebag. The sail 200 may function similar to a sail on a sail boat andcatch the wind 202 to pull the vessel 10.

FIG. 21 shows a towable vessel 10 filled with a liquid and secured by 4ocean buoys 210. The 4 ocean buoys 210 keep the vessel 10 in the samelocation and do not allow the vessel 10 to rotate onto its side.

FIG. 22 shows one embodiment of a water transport system 220. In thesystem 220 shown, three cities or ports 222, 224, 226 need fresh water.The towable vessel (VLB) 10 comprising fresh water travels along a coastline. At time T1 the VLB 10 is proximate to a first city 222. A firstboat or other vessel 246 a travels from the first city 222 to the VLB10. At time T1 the first boat 246 a gets fresh water from the VLB 10 andthen returns to the first city 222. The entire time the VLB 10 is movingat approximately 3 knots (the direction of travel is shown by thearrows). At time T2 the VLB 10 is proximate to a second city 224. Asecond boat or other vessel 246 b travels from the second city 224 tothe VLB 10. At time T2 the second boat 246 b gets fresh water from theVLB 10 and then returns to the second city 224 with the fresh water. Attime T3 the VLB 10 is proximate to a third city 226. A third boat orother vessel 246 c travels from the third city 226 to the VLB 10. Attime T3 the third boat 246 c gets fresh water from the VLB 10 and thenreturns to the third city 226 with the fresh water.

In some embodiments, solar-powered mooring stations for VLB waterislands are provided. Similar to the example shown in FIG. 22, boats orvessels may come to a stationary VLB water island to get water. The VLBwater island may have solar cells or windmills to collect solar and/orwind energy. Thus, the boats may use the VLB water islands as a seaanchor, a docking station, a charging station, and a fresh water source.

FIGS. 23A-B show a VLB 10 being filled with salt water 232 to push thefresh water 230 to the top of the bag because fresh water 230 isapproximately 2.5% lighter (i.e., less dense) than salt water 232 andthus floats on salt water 232. Membranes 234, 236 within the VLB 10 maybe used to keep the salt water 232 separated from the fresh water 230.Additionally, the salt water 232 may be fully contained within a bladder236 within the VLB 10 such that the salt water 232 does not contaminatethe VLB 10 for future use with fresh water 230. For example, variousliners 236 available from Fab-Seal Industrial Liners, Inc. may beprovided to accommodate water to be stored within a VLB 10 and isolatethe clean, non-salt water from salt water, dirty water, or variousmaterials, gases, debris, etc. Liners suitable for use in someembodiments of the present invention include, but are not limited to,P.V.C. flexible membrane liner materials. In various embodiments, linersor bags 234, 236 may also be made of similar materials to the shippingcontainer bags or very large bags 10 towed by a ship.

In various embodiments, bags or liners for isolating water or liquidsmay be fabricated in any desired manner, including in a completelyflattened conformation. For example, two sheets of fabric may be cut tothe desired plan shape and joined at their adjacent edges by suitablemeans consistent with the material of construction. For example, heatwelding or solvent welding may be used if certain polymeric materialshave been employed as the substance coating the fabric. Sewing may benecessary in addition. It is possible that the overall cost of a bag maybe reduced if the center section and the edges are fabricatedseparately, i.e., not the flattened conformation.

In one embodiment, internal surfaces or portions may be coated withvarious materials to prevent or minimize risk of cross-contamination.For example, various spray-coatings may be applied once a quantity ofwater is emptied from a portion or section of the VLB to create a virginsurface for the holding and contacting with water or similar fluidcargoes. By way of example, industrial water-proof coatings provided bythe Procachem Corporation may be provided to coat, cover, or seal asurface that was exposed to or in contact with salt water, dirty water,or a different type of water so as to render the surface capable ofaccommodating water without significant risk of cross-contamination. Invarious embodiments, internal volumes of bladders or similar structuresare coated with a layer of material, the layer of material comprising anappropriate thickness to substantially eliminate the risk ofcross-contamination between a liquid or material to be stored and aliquid or material previously stored in the same tank. In variousembodiments, the layer of material applied is not so thick as tosubstantially impact the overall internal volume of the container, tank,vessel, etc.

It will be recognized that various different liquids and gases may becontained and transported within embodiments of the present invention.Accordingly the present invention is not limited to the transport ofwater, wine, or human potable substances.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been describedin detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of thoseembodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to beexpressly understood that such modifications and alterations are withinthe scope and spirit of the present invention, as set forth in theSummary, Detailed Description, and in the following claims. Further, theinvention(s) described herein are capable of other embodiments and ofbeing practiced or of being carried out in various ways. In addition, itis to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein isfor the purposes of description and should not be regarded as limiting.The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “adding” and variations thereofherein are meant to encompass the items listed thereafter andequivalents thereof, as well as, additional items.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for storing and conveying fluids, saidmethod comprising: (a) providing: a non-rigid, water-impermeable devicewith an elongate shape having a first end, a second end and having agenerally streamlined shape in plan view; the first end comprising afirst attachment device; the second end comprising a second attachmentdevice; at least two ports for intake and exhaust of fluids; at leastone of the at least two ports comprising a valve for a user to adjustbuoyancy of the non-rigid, water-impermeable device; at least a portionof the non-rigid, water-impermeable device containing a fluid of lowerdensity than a fluid through which said non-rigid, water-impermeabledevice is transported; one or more valves in two-way communication withat least a portion of an interior volume of the non-rigid,water-impermeable device and an outside environment; a transmitter forconveying information related to the geographic position of the device;at least a portion of an internal surface area of the non-rigid,water-impermeable device being comprised of a flexible and tearresistant material; at least two mooring devices; and an anchored memberhaving a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal length; (b)securing the first attachment device of the first end to one of the atleast two mooring devices; (c) securing the second attachment device ofthe second end to the second of the at least two mooring devices; (d)storing an entirety of the fluid of lower density in said non-rigid,water impermeable device; (e) stabilizing the non-rigid,water-impermeable device by mooring the non-rigid, water-impermeabledevice to a fixed or floating object; (f) signaling a physical positionof the non-rigid, water-impermeable device; (g) tracking the non-rigid,water-impermeable device; (h) conveying the non-rigid, water-impermeabledevice to a predetermined destination through salt water; and (i)emptying the non-rigid, water-impermeable device of fluids through oneof said at least two ports.
 2. The method as set forth in claim 1,further comprising providing one or more photovoltaic arrays to collectsolar energy, said arrays being adapted to contact a non-submergedsurface of the non-rigid, water-impermeable device during said conveyingstep.
 3. The method as set forth in claim 2, further comprising usingthe solar energy to provide one or more functions of the non-rigid,water-impermeable device, said one or more functions selected from athegroup consisting of supplying power to engines employed in saidconveying step; supplying power to enable said emptying step; supplyingpower to at least one of a beacon, a light, and a sensor; and supplyingpower to one or more devices responsible for said steps of tracking,stabilizing, transmitting, and signaling.
 4. The method as set forth inclaim 1, further comprising, deflating the non-rigid, water-impermeabledevice to reduce a volume of the device for ease of transport.
 5. Themethod as set forth in claim 1, wherein the fluid of lower density isfresh water.
 6. The method as set forth in claim 5, further comprisingproviding a water purification system and treating the fresh water. 7.The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising providing one ormore drones, wherein the drones are capable of maneuvering thenon-rigid, water-impermeable device.
 8. The method as set forth in claim1, further comprising, segregating different liquids within said device.9. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising, controllingthe amount of air within a portion of the device to adjust buoyancy ofthe device.
 10. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising,venting the device in a manner that prevents entrance of contaminantsinto the device.
 11. A method for storing and conveying fluids, saidmethod comprising: (a) providing: a non-rigid, water-impermeable devicewith an elongate shape having a first end, a second end, the first endcomprising a first attachment device, and the second end comprising asecond attachment device; a plurality of ports for intake and exhaust offluids; at least one of the plurality of ports comprising a valve forthe user to adjusting buoyancy of the non-rigid, water-impermeabledevice; at least a portion of the non-rigid, water-impermeable devicecontaining a fluid of lower density than a fluid through which thenon-rigid, water-impermeable device is transported; one or more valvesin two-way communication with at least a portion of an interior volumeof the non-rigid, water-impermeable device and an outside environment; atransmitter for conveying information related to the geographic positionof the non-rigid, water-impermeable device; at least a portion of aninternal surface area of the non-rigid, water-impermeable device beingcomprised of a flexible and tear resistant material; and a mooringdevice; (b) securing the first attachment device of the non-rigid,water-impermeable device to the mooring device; (c) signaling a physicalposition of the non-rigid, water-impermeable device; (d) tracking thenon-rigid, water-impermeable device using a device that receives GPSinformation; and (e) transmitting coordinates of the non-rigid,water-impermeable device at predetermined temporal increments.
 12. Themethod as set forth in claim 11, further comprising, rapidly emptyingthe non-rigid, water-impermeable device of fluids through at least oneof said plurality of ports.
 13. The method as set forth in claim 11,further comprising, steering the non-rigid, water-impermeable device viaone or more skegs positioned on said device.
 14. The method as set forthin claim 11, further comprising providing at least one of a photovoltaicarray and a windmill to collect renewable energy.
 15. The method as setforth in claim 11, further comprising, deflating the non-rigid,water-impermeable device to reduce a volume of the device for ease oftransport.
 16. The method as set forth in claim 11, further comprising,preserving the fluid contained within the non-rigid, water-impermeabledevice when the non-rigid, water-impermeable device in a state oforiginal integrity is in a submerged position.
 17. The method as setforth in claim 11, further comprising, coating the internal surface ofthe non-rigid, water-impermeable device to preserve the purity of saidlower density fluid.
 18. The method as set forth in claim 11, furthercomprising identifying the plurality of ports for the intake and exhaustof fluids via a marking system that identifies which of the plurality ofports for the intake and exhaust of fluids are associated withcompartments that are connected to at least one of said ports.
 19. Themethod as set forth in claim 11, wherein said positioning step furthercomprises storing the non-rigid, water-impermeable device in a generallyhorizontal position with respect to a water line using the mooringdevice and a second mooring device and securing the second mooringdevice to the second attachment device of the second end of thenon-rigid, water-impermeable device.
 20. The method as set forth inclaim 11, further comprising: operatively associating one or morephotovoltaic arrays to the non-rigid, water-impermeable device;generating electrical power from said solar arrays; and conveying theelectrical power to at least one component selected from the groupconsisting of an engine, a liquid filling system, an emptying system, adraining system, an inflating system, a pump, a beacon, a light, asensor, a GPS system, a navigation system, a steering system, a drone, abreaking system, a tracking device, a computer, a stabilizing device, atransmitter, and a signaling device.